Deception
by FsDxRAGE
Summary: Deception is an original harrowing tale following Toby Heiko and his family after Toby has an invading and mysterious nightmare were something seems to have tore itself through which relentlessly hunts them down.
1. Chapter 1

Deception

_Fear. Hate. Regret. Remorse. Sorrow._

Deep in the stages of REM sleep, Toby Heiko's eyes darted in their sockets, trying desperately to wake his subconscious mind from this far-too-realistic nightmare. _Wake up Toby, it's just a dream. Wake up now! _With a tremendous effort, his eyelids shot open; he was no longer in the blackened alleyway. His body trembling, his fists clenched; the residual feelings of horror were overpowering. It was so concentrated, so potent, that just thinking about it made his stomach churn. He pulled his feet away from the edge of the bed and closer to the core of his body, more out of a subconscious desire for comfort than rational thought. _Dammit Toby,_ c_ontrol yourself! _His skyrocketing heartbeat felt as though it wanted to burst from his chest or crawl itself through his throat like a rat trying to escape from a scorching flame. His hands trembled, not unlike the first time he aimed his firearm with intent to kill at another human. Toby smacked his mouth and with the back of his hand wiped beads of sweat off his upper lip, but his hand was clasped to something. The rubber grip of a pistol was slick in his fist. _Dear God._ The mattress was drenched with his perspiration and clung to his body as he slowly pulled his quaking legs from under the heavy blankets. His legs were sticky and unsteady as he quietly placed them on the carpeted floor of his apartment, trying not to wake his sleeping wife. Guilt thundered through every vein in his body when he looked at the pistol, still in his hand. The safety was off, an apparent result of his physical body attempting to take action against the subconscious nightmare while combating these dark entities.

_It was just a dream, Toby._

Staring at the pistol in his quavering hands, he slipped the handgun back under his bed like a child hiding a secret from their parents. Uncurling his fists, he rested his sweat-coated face in the palms of his hands. Moments after his eyes shut, glimpses of the nightmare flashed through his mind's eye, jolting his heartrate once more. On edge now more than ever, the unexpected glide of two fingers moving down his spine caused him to jump involuntarily.

"Toby, are you okay?" He slowly spun around and looked at his wife, her head peering over the blankets. Toby stared into the dull glow of her eyes, looking past the facemask that hid her true beauty. Grabbing the quarian's three fingered hand, he kissed the thick fabric then gingerly set it back on the bed.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Must be something I ate." He said reassuringly as he moved towards the bathroom, intentionally avoiding the creaky floorboards residing under the lush carpet. "Go back to sleep Nashira," he whispered, opening the door to the bathroom. He silently closed it before waving his hand over a dim blue holographic light switch. Sickening, sterile white light bleached his vision and penetrated into his brain like a flame. Squinting, he walked over to the sink, grabbing the edge of the basin using it like crutches as he fought the nauseating vertigo. Glancing slowly upward, the mirror revealed a startling sight; the person staring back at him didn't resemble the Toby Heiko he thought he knew. His usual dark skin was pale and slick with perspiration, completely different from his attractive natural tan. His dark brown irises were swimming in an ocean of red instead of a healthy brilliant white. Toby looked up at the ceiling. The lights seemed to buzz in a nauseating tune, causing his stomach to perform acrobatic displays. Hot tungsten filaments burned white in the glass bulbs, bouncing caustic patterns off the metallic surfaces in the small bathroom. His vision blurred and his legs trembled once again; not because of fear, but because of the sickening void swirling in his stomach. He quickly splashed cold water in his face, attempting to repel the inevitable. Out of all the things he has seen, smelled, and witnessed, vomit scared the hell out of him. _Damn it, fight it off. _He swallowed hard, but he knew it was too late. He opened his eyes and the light again pierced his brain like a hot needle. Clenching the toilet, he heaved all the contents of his stomach into the ceramic pot.

"Toby, do you need my help?" He could hear Nashira's hand trying to open the locked door.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," he said weakly. His stomach now empty, Toby clambered back to the sink, cleaning his mouth out with haste. His pupils contracted, compensating for the harsh overhead light as he studied himself in the mirror. Running a large hand through his black quarter inch hair, he noted that his black tank top had darkened circles under the arms and around the neck. _Damn it. _He grabbed a tissue and blew his crooked nose, flushing out traces of vomit and scattering the white wafer thin sheet with shredded leafs of bile. His mind wandered back to the dream, to the grisly images; he fought back the lump crawling in his throat. _That was another life. You have a better one now. _

His eyes flicked back to the toilet, searching for any leftover mess. Fortunately, his quick thinking had spared himself having to clean up a mess that would have brought him to his knees. He silently chuckled under his breath, resigning to his phobia of half-digested food. He thanked his fortunes that he didn't have to vomit in a small, confined space, as that would have combined both his phobias of vomit and claustrophobia. God, he hated closed spaces. He peered at his watch, searching for the time. It was three hours and seventy-nine minutes into the morning according to Citadel time. Over the eight years he has been living here on the Citadel, his body has grown accustomed to the sixteen percent longer days compared to those back on Earth. His hand absently swiped the used toothbrush into the waste bin and he ripped open a packet to another one. He began brushing his teeth and timed it to the very second up to three minutes. Toby spit into the sink, getting rid of the lingering, revolting aftertaste of vomit. His hand waved over the light switch and he quietly opened the door to the bedroom.

"Toby?" A hand gently grabbed his as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Nashira, I told you I was okay," he whispered back.

"I was worried."

Toby pressed his back against the wall and slid down to the floor, still grasping her hand. Even through the dim light that passed through the polarized windows, Toby could still make out her form. With her legs tucked under the chin of the white helmet surrounding the blue faceplate, she had been waiting by the door with obvious concern. His eyes traced the white outline of the traditional quarian cloths that wrapped around their radically curved body. The outline of the cloth was like a sandy beach bordering a sapphire blue ocean. After a seven year marriage with the love of his life, he never got tired of her suit and its enrapturing aesthetics. The blue and white matched her personality, which was cool and collected, as well as the contours of her body. He grinned and squeezed her hand, reassuring her.

"Like I said, there is nothing to be worried about. It must have been something I ate." In the dark room, Toby noticed her eyes narrow and her body shift. Even though her face was hidden from view, Toby could sense the emotions through her body movement. Since she was a quarian and their faces were hidden, they show emotion through radical or subtle body movements. Being a Citadel Security officer, he was more apt than most at recognizing these subtle forms of communication. After spending seven years with her, he could tell she sensed something that didn't add up. _Damn,_ _what did I do?_ Nashira's grip tightened on his hand protectively.

"Toby, I think there is something more to this."

"What do you mean?" Her stance became more serious.

"You were talking to yourself…in your sleep." Nashira buried her head against his shoulder. "Was it the...the nightmare again, Toby?" she said cautiously, snaking an arm around his waist. She could feel Toby nod and bury his face into her hood for comfort. "Remember, it's just a dream Toby. They can't hurt you." Hearing these words delivered in her soothing accent, similar to an Earthen Middle-Eastern one, gave more comfort to him than any human he had ever met, and it reminded him why he loved her so much.

"Do you have any work today?" he asked in the hopes of changing the subject.

"Yes, later in the afternoon though." Toby put a finger under her chin bringing those beautiful eyes to meet his.

"I love how much you care for me; you don't know how much it means." Her eyes flashed happily as she looked at him. One of Nashira's lanky fingers traced his lips, the quarian equivalent of a kiss. Toby grabbed her thin waist, pulling Nashira to her feet, and walked her over to the bed. He lifted up the sheets and she slipped back into the blankets comforting embrace. Nashira's hand weaved out wanting him to grab it so she could pull him back into bed, but Toby curled her fingers up into a ball, reluctantly pushing her away. He just had the feeling that he would fall right back into the dream and back into the dark alleyway if he tried to sleep again.

"I don't think I am up for going back to sleep." Nashira cocked her head and pulled the blankets off from over her legs.

"Well I can't let you be up alone," she whispered. Toby rounded the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Are all quarians this selfless?" Her body relaxed as Toby hooked his arm under her legs that dangled over the side, stuffing them back under the blankets. He could tell she was blushing under the clouded face shield. "Go back to sleep." He laid an open hand on her chest and gently pushed Nashira's back into the mattress, pulling the blankets under her chin. He sat there for a moment, staring at the glow of her eyes, brandishing images of her face that he has only seen several times in his life.

"Are you going to watch me go to sleep?"

"I am not leaving until I see your eyes close." Nashira's eyes shut and Toby got off the bed, walking to the door leading to the hallway. He spun around and caught a glimpse of her eyes from behind the mask. "Nashira, what did I tell you?" He grinned at hearing her snicker and roll over to her side pulling the blankets up to her thin shoulders. Toby silently opened the door and closed it behind him. He was at the end of a short hallway with two doors on the left and one on the right. His heart skipped several beats when he looked at the door to the right. There was a drawing of their family on a piece of paper which hung on the door. Toby's hand went to the door handle, but he hesitated against peeking in on his sleeping daughter, Gia; he just had the urge to see her, to make sure she was safe. Toby carefully opened the door and peeked inside of the room. He smiled when he saw his quarian daughter's petite frame resting under the blankets which were pulled completely over her helmeted head. A night light in the corner of the room emanated a dull orange and slowly changed to red then purple swabbing the small room's walls with its appealing hue. Models of starships were hanging on strings from the ceiling, casting long shadows over the blonde wooden floor. Reassured that his daughter was safe, he closed the door to the bedroom and proceeded into the living quarters of the small apartment.

A large, tinted panoramic window was looking out over the Citadel's Ward arms. Toby approached the thick glass and crossed his arms.

"Open."

The massive window depolarized, letting light from the Widow cascade into the room. Every day, this view took his breath away as he gazed out over the Serpent Nebula. With its swirling mix of blue, gray and white gasses, the celestial formation was a breathtaking sight. The Ward arms stretched for forty-five kilometers out in front of him. Streams of vehicles floated like hot embers caught in the wind in between the colossal sky scrapers which towered above the manufactured ground. The Destiny Ascension, an asari dreadnaught and the largest ship to date, was serenely floating off in the distance like a shark patrolling the ocean. Its four prongs stuck out like aggressive spikes and the gaping mouth of the ship was a dazzling, illuminated blue as though the vessel contained a blue internal roaring fire. Toby spun towards the kitchen which was basking in the glorious light from the window. A familiar face at the breakfast counter made him smile.

"Hey there, Nelson." The fish swam towards Toby and its bulbous eyes stared at him. Pulses of light shot through a white vein that ran down the center of its back as it noticed Toby grabbing a can of fish food. This fish meant a lot to him; its very presence keeping him sane during the darkest moments of his life. Heiko pinched some colorful flakes between his fingers and sprinkled them into the clear water. Nelson darted back and forth grabbing the flakes that fluttered to the blue marbled ground. Toby leaned on the counter, staring contentedly at his pet until Nelson swam away and hid behind a turian cruiser toy that Gia had placed in the bowl. _This way he can hide when he is scared because everyone knows the turians are good ship builders,_ Toby could hear his daughter say. He closed the can of fish food, placing it back on the shelf in alphabetical order and trying not to disturb the position of the other items. He walked over to his office to retrieve his duffel bag with his gear tucked neatly away inside. A computer monitor hummed quietly in the corner with a neat stack of data pads filed next to it, all of which dealt with notes and research dealing with the book he was writing. Being a culinary fanatic, discovering all these other species which had cultures just as advanced and old as humans, they were naturally going to have exotic foods. Moving to the Citadel opened the limitless amount of new delicacies to be discovered, ranging from the spiritual asari to the scientific salarians. Working in a restaurant back on Earth, he was naturally drawn to food and the great city of Philadelphia had an abundant amount of things to explore and eat, and living on 9th street he had the old Italian market which still draws breath along with Pats and Geno's, making them some of the oldest restaurants on Earth. For obvious reasons, Toby wanted to write a book about the one-hundred greatest places to eat on the Citadel ranging from the grungy krogan sausage stands that dotted the Wards, to the finest asari restaurants which looked over the Citadel. Additionally, being married to a quarian, he wanted to open the minds of humans to how incredible the new species really are and feed them tips on how to interact with them.

Toby pulled a shirt that read C-Sec: Special Response over his bare torso while standing in his office. His work place was perfectly organized: All books were in alphabetical order based on title, there were no loose papers or data pads, and not a speck of dust was sitting on the desk. His hand rifled through his bag, searching for his running shoes. Finding them, he stood up straight, eye level with his recognized achievements that were hanging on the wall. Distinguished Service Medal from the fight on Shanxi, N7 Graduate in 2159, and behind that was a picture of his unit. He remembered all the faces and names by heart as they had spent three years together doing operations for the human Alliance. One of those faces still has an impact in his life, his C-Sec Special Response partner Brian Hilliard. They were like brothers; no, they _were_ brothers. After eleven years of working together and fighting together, Brian has become the closest person to Toby, other than Gia and Nashira.

He slipped his running shoes on and walked out the door of his apartment. The air was thick and still when he entered the hallway of the 148th floor, its carpeted floor dull and filmy from all the traffic over the years. Toby locked the door behind him, double checking to make sure it was shut. _You know they're__ safe Toby, you do this every day._ He walked towards the elevator that climbed to the roof of the building. His thoughts were swirling and racing, reflecting on the nightmare. The last time he had this nightmare, Gia got an infection and almost died. Every time he had this nightmare, something bad happened. Was it just bad luck or did it mean something? He pressed the button to head to the top of the building where there was a running track around the perimeter. _God_ _damn it,_ _To__by, it's nothing. You're letting your imagination run wild. It's just chance._ The elevator shuddered and hissed open. Toby sighed and shook his head.

"It's nothing, Toby, let it go." He told himself, making his way over to his usual starting line. His feet sunk into the soft recycled rubber that made up the track. This track felt like home to him, a place of peace and solitude where he could keep his sanity in check. He looked around, realizing no one was up here at this time of day. Several pieces of trash littered the artificial grass that centered the circular track. The city below hummed and buzzed with a life and energy that Toby could feel in his chest. It rumbled through the protective glass dome over his head, keeping the hostile atmosphere (or lack of atmosphere, rather) at bay. He started his stop watch and began his usual five kilometer morning run. With a competitive spirit that was forged from the military and more so in his recent work at C-Sec, he always wanted to beat his best time. If he ran one second faster or one millisecond faster, he considered it a victory. In C-Sec, especially in the Special Response, which was C-Sec's equivalent to an anti-terrorist unit, Toby witnessed extreme racial problems first hand. He looked at this as an extra challenge making him strive towards excellence, challenging him to the brink. Being one of the first humans to join Special Response, every day he has been looked down upon by the turians in the group. Toby has to be at the top of his game at all times in order to give humanity a stronger image among the galactic community. The media and everyone else at C-Sec were always waiting for humans to make mistakes. Racial problems against humans will break the weak minded in C-Sec, especially in CSSR. Toby has adapted to this and blocks it out. He smiled smugly to himself. _I like the extra challenge. _His eyes drifted down to his stop watch and realized he knocked out the first three kilometers without even thinking about it. _Time is good, heart rate's perfect and I'm not even tired. _He checked his pulse and noticed it was barely above normal. He needed to beat his last time, so he pushed himself harder, his powerful legs accelerating his body forward.

His thoughts once again drifted back to his nightmare as he closed in on the final kilometer. _I haven't thought of her in ages, why did I have that dream?_ In the pit of his stomach, an icy void seemed to suck away at his charm, happiness, and concentration. He had no idea why his mind kept forcing him to revisit that nightmare, but he felt like it was warning him of something. For some reason the atmosphere felt thicker. _Thick with what, though?_ Toby had a sixth sense of things, like he could feel the change of emotion in the air. The thought of it was childish and he kept telling himself that it was just that certain skill he picked up during his many years in C-Sec, but deep in his brain, he knew he held a special gift. The white finish line was fast approaching him. _I need to think about something else, this idealism you have doesn't make any sense. _The last stretch arrived quickly and he gave it everything he had. The muscles in his legs screamed as lactic acid rapidly built up in his thighs and calf muscles. His lungs burned, but nothing was going to hold him back, he had to beat his last time. The stop watch halted and beeped as he crossed the five kilometer mark. _One and a half seconds slower today, damn. At least I am consistent. _As if driving the point home, a familiar rumble in his stomach told him to get to the kitchen, fast.

"You can wait; I need to think about some things alone." Ignoring the hunger pangs, he patted his rock hard stomach and sat down on a bench to try and get his head straight.

An hour later, Toby walked down the hallway approaching his apartment door. His head was clear and untainted with the nightmare he had earlier. He felt like a new man. _Well, at least I will once I take a shower. _The morning was fast approaching noticing people exit their homes and heading off to work.

"Hi Mr. Heiko!"

He spun around, discovering that the voice had came from one of his neighbors.

"Morning Rachel," Toby said, friendly warmth creeping into his voice, "I'd keep a safe distance; I'm sweaty as all hell."

Toby looked at the human girl who was probably heading off to school. She looked up at him with a crooked smile, hoisting a shoulder bag full of data pads and essays. She pulled a dark wisp of hair behind her ear and grinned, lifting the bags strap over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I can tell." She said, giggling.

"Well be safe out there and don't talk to strangers," he joked. Rachel laughed and looked to the ground.

"I am twenty-one, Mr. Heiko and going to med school, I have a brain you know."

"I know that. Now get to school and study hard."

"Got it. Oh, tell Gia I said hello, and remember, if you guys need any help looking after her, I am just next door." Toby smiled and waved at her.

"Thanks, I know I can count on you Rachel." She twirled around and confidently walked toward the elevator. _What a good kid._ Turning back to his doorway, Toby entered the six digit security code and heard the distinctive triple-click of the internal locks disengaging. The cool air of the apartment kissed his skin like an arctic breeze sending shivers up his spine. He untied his shoes and walked over to his office, neatly placing them back in his duffel. Toby heard the floor creak behind him. He turned to see Nashira leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed.

"Are you feeling better?" she said, concern in her voice.

"Everything is taken care of."

"Okay, well that is good to hear."

He noted that she didn't sound entirely convinced. Toby smiled at Nashira. She was unusually tall for a quarian, about his height at 5'11", and it was at times like this that he truly admired her beauty.

"I was talking to Rachel a second ago. When do we need her to babysit Gia again?"

Remaining silent, Nashira moved towards Toby and wrapped her arms around him.

"I will let her know when; you don't need to worry about it. How was your run?" She asked running a finger down the side of his cheek.

"I was a second slower today."

"Well you are a tough sucker to beat."

Toby chuckled.

"Yeah this is true. I sometimes wonder it I will ever get my time down to zero." They both shared a cheesy laugh and Toby looked at his watch. "I should go wake Gia up for school." Nashira nodded and let go of him. Toby cracked open the door to her room and walked inside. He picked up several toys lying on the ground on his way over to her bed. A plastic model of the Destiny Ascension sat in his right hand and a turian fighter in the other. _For a young quarian girl, she sure has some cool toys. _His eyes looked over the lump under the blankets, watching them rise and fall rhythmically with her breathing. He set the toys under the bed and crouched next to her. Her blanket glowed in the dark and had fluorescent starships printed on it. Toby lifted up her blanket revealing Gia lying on her side with her small, thin back faced toward him. His large hand pressed against his seven year old daughter's little back. She felt so small and delicate with each tiny, adorable breath she took. God did he love her so much.

"GiGi, it is time to wake up for school." She didn't budge. Toby reached over her and grabbed one of her small three fingered hands and started rubbing them. "GiGi, Daddy wants a hug." He could hear her take a deep breath and she rolled over. Toby stared at her fragile body which was wrapped in orange quarian cloth with white zigzag decals. Much like her mother, the colors she wore matched her personality flawlessly. The zigzag white decals reminded him of lightning bolts which represented her electric personality and never-ending energy.

"Why does Daddy want hug in the morning," Gia asked with her eyes still closed, clearly not amused.

"Because I need some more sugar to keep me energized for my big day." Heiko continued rubbing her small hands.

"Why don't you go hug Mommy for some sugar?"

"I already did GiGi. You sugar is sweeter than Mommy's… don't tell her I said that." Gia's eyes flashed open and Toby stared into the glow. For some reason, her eyes were the brightest he has ever seen on a quarian before. He didn't know if this was just due to her age and vitality, but he enjoyed every moment they were open and he didn't want to blink for he was afraid he was going to miss something.

"Rub my feet Daddy, and then I will give you some sugar." Toby couldn't help but laugh at her bargaining skills. For a seven year old, she was extremely intelligent. Gia's foot poked out from under the blanket spreading her two toes, wanting them to be rubbed. He cupped her small foot in his rather large hands and squeezed them. Toby peered at the door way to see Nashira's body half way around the door, her hand grabbing the corner of the wall, peering into the bedroom at the sweet sight. Toby flashed a truly happy smile at her then went back to rubbing her feet.

"Not too hard Daddy," she squeaked. "You have a strong cop grip." Toby was in heaven. She sat up on the bed throwing her small arms in the air and yawned. Her minuscule fists uncurled and sat them in her lap releasing a squeak of a yawn. Toby admired her re-curve shins and small feet. Gia pounced at Toby, wrapping her arms around his muscular shoulders.

"Now that's what I was waiting for, Gia." She giggled and stood on his knees. "If you go outside, you can see the Destiny Ascension. I saw it this morning." He could see her eyes sparkle with excitement. Gia put her arms out like a bird and stood on her toes.

"Fly me to the window Daddy!"

"Okay." He grabbed Gia from under her arms and launched her into the air. "This is Navigator Daddy; I need permission to fly the Starship Gia into port, over." Toby changed his tone of voice to match that of a salarian's. Gia laughed at her father's impression of the alien species.

"Permission granted." she said, a note of authority in her young voice.

Toby held her high and walked towards the door making juvenile engine sounds. Gia erupted with laughter and high pitched giggles as Toby launched her out of the bedroom, zipping through the hallway, and landing in front of the window. He crouched down on one knee setting his chin on her shoulder. Toby grabbed her arm and pointed towards the Destiny Ascension which was passing by their apartment not a kilometer away.

"Wow, look at how big it is!" Toby could feel her small arm muscles flex as she launched away from him clapping her helmet against the window with both hands pressed open.. "My teacher at school took a tour of the ship last year and she said it was amazing." Gia twirled around with her hands nervously intertwined, putting them on her head, playing with her orange hood.

"I'll tell you what; we'll go on a tour of it this weekend, just the three of us."

Gia hugged her daddy around the neck. Toby gently hugged her back, inhaling her fresh scent. He could feel her breathing against his chest; it was so delicate and sweet he didn't want to move.

"Thank you Daddy, so much."

"You're welcome, GiGi."

"Can I feed Nelson?" she asked, hopeful.

"I already fed him; you can feed him at dinner time this evening, okay?" Gia's bright eyes narrowed from a grin. "Now get ready for school. I bought some sweet nutrient paste for breakfast the other day for you. It's in the tan tubes." Gia ran into the kitchen and inserted the tube into the feeding terminal. Smiling, Toby stood up and locked eyes with Nashira who was holding Gia's backpack.

"Are her hugs really sweeter than mine?"

Toby snorted and grabbed the backpack from Nashira's strong grip.

"Maybe?"

She just shook her head and walked into the kitchen to help Gia out. Toby entered Gia's room and to her desk. He fingered around an Alliance model vessel that she was building, searching for her data pads for school. Finding them, he stuffed them into her orange backpack and walked back into the kitchen.

"Now be good at school, study hard, and don't start any fights." Gia pulled the orange straps over her thin shoulders. Unable to talk with a mouthful of sweet nutrient paste, she simply nodded and gave a slight, throaty giggle at the last request. Toby went to a knee, kissed her faceplate, then stood up and kissed Nashira's face plate.

"You don't know how dirty my face shield is Toby."

"I don't really care."

The tip of her finger went over his lips as she stepped out the door. Toby watched the two walk down the hallway, Gia's little backpack swaying as she energetically skipped while holding her mother's hand. Toby's grin disappeared as thoughts of the nightmare began to return. _I am __**not**__ going to lose them._

A turian paced back and forth in his depressing hotel room. The walls were stained yellow from all the filth over the years. Dark spots dotted the carpet in the room; stains of everything from spilled coffee to blood from a drug dealer. He didn't know, nor did he particularly care. Luxury or vacation wasn't the point of staying in this room; he had orders from the Council. That is all he did, follow orders of the Council. He is a Spectre, the best of the best when it comes to combat, intelligence, recon, and the unbreakable persistence to get the job done by any means possible. This job was like many ones he had before; an assassination of a dangerous human politician. But he felt something different about this one, it felt personal. The turian hated humans. With a spasm of rage, he punched the wall of the hotel room; just thinking about the sub race of aliens that were new to the galactic scene made him feel unclean. He glared at the hole his fist made in the disgusting stained drywall. Bits of material clung to his fist and he could smell the stale scent from the powder that was floating in the air. His anger released, his mind drifted back to his mission he had to complete today.

Taking long strides over to a coffee table in the small living den, his finger tapped a plate poised on the table. A holograph sprang to life, painting the apartment with its dull blue florescence. His two beady black eyes scanned the building where this human, Josh Stago, was supposed to be today.

"Josh Stago." The name left a bad taste in his mouth. He coughed and tapped the holographic terminal once more. His victim was situated in the building directly across from the Spectre's. His fingers twisted and the holograph zoomed in on the roof of the building. "Perfect place," the turian said aloud, his voice crackling in the dark room. The roof of the building was crowded with A/C units, pipes, and tubes. He went over the plan in his head once more. _He has three guards with him at all times, but he is in his home base so his force will be stronger. _His mind buzzed with calculations and estimations. _I just need to take out the human and I will be done._ He opened his eyes and looked at a data pad that was hanging up on the wall of his room. Closing his eyes, the turian's photographic memory had the words burned into his eyes and brain.

"Josh Stago. Human supremacist. Forty-six years old, married, three children." He paused at three children and laughed. "He is responsible for an elusive slaving company that captures alien politicians and police personnel and sells them. He is working his way up in politics and can be dangerous to Council space." He opened his eyes and looked at the data pad. "Evidence…none. It is just a hunch, but he _needs _to be eliminated." He snickered at that part, it was his favorite. The veteran Spectre looked at the rifle poised on the table. It was an experimental rifle engineered to stop vehicles, blast through engine blocks, and penetrate armor. He thought of the word "overkill", but merely sneered. _I could run into a problem and need to shoot through I-beams or walls._ Being prepared for anything and everything was a necessity in his line of work, especially with high risk operations like the one today. If he missed a shot or just wounded his target, he could single-handedly cause a war. The turian stood up off the filthy plastic chair and walked over to the holograph. His finger ran a line from the top of the building he would be situated in, all the way to Mr. Stago's building.

"One kilometer and 365 meters." He closed his eyes to triple check his math, going over equations in his head. "Time," he shouted. Orange letters came up on the holographic blueprint of the building layout projected on the coffee table. "Three hours and eighty-nine minutes before I need to be at the top of the Kioska Insurance building." The turian sat back down on the sticky plastic chair and closed his eyes to try and meditate before embarking on a truly personal mission. He slowed his heart beat down and took several deep breaths. "Sleep is for the weak." He smirked, thinking about how he hadn't slept in several days, or eaten in a week. "The mission comes first and nothing before it." Life on the Citadel hummed through cheap walls of the hotel room as the Spectre set his life as far away from reality as he could. The Spectre, known as Skave, zoned out, readying himself for the mission that lay ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

He walked confidently, head held high, back straight as an arrow as he descended the long flight of stairs into the subway. His navy blue uniform was cleanly pressed and starched with his pistol tucked away under his left arm. A blue beret sat neatly on his head, proudly displaying his unit's symbol: a white crest emblazoned with a lightning bolt through the center and the letters "CSSR" encircling. The subway was an amazing design which Toby admired more every time he used the incredible transportation system. The walls were lined with white tiles that acted like the OLED screens of the 21st century. They were used to advertise everything from the latest fast food to time shares on distant, exotic planets. In contrast to the vibrant siding, the floor was scummy, dotted with gum and scuff marks from the hundreds of thousands of pedestrians that passed through every day. To Toby's pleasant surprise, the ordinarily stale air flowing through the station was permeated with a wonderful amalgamation of scents from the dozens of unique food stands lining the tracks. Most of the Citadel's inhabitants don't think to look at the subway as a source of culinary delicacies, but a select few eateries served some of the best street food anyone could ever hope to find. In fact, he fully intended to feature a select couple of restaurants from this very station to feature in his upcoming book which sat back at home, waiting to have Toby's fingers massage more words into the blank pages.

A variety of species dawdled the huge subterranean maw this morning, moving alongside automated carts carrying garbage, pales of water, and luggage as they went about their business. The bustle reminded him of Philadelphia, his former home of twenty-one years. Though he loved his hometown, he knew he had to get off the stagnant rock called Earth if he wanted to experience anything resembling adventure. He checked his watch and was on time to catch the train that led to C-Sec, his place of work, where he anxiously awaited to be called away on some sort of emergency. A massive gathering of aliens and humans alike crowded together in front of the Arrival/Departure banner that dominated this part of the station. His departure time memorized, Toby deftly maneuvered through the massive congregation of bodies, attempting to push through the ensemble and get to his platform. As if to drive his point home, the MagLev Automated Tram System silently slid out of the nearby tunnel, the expelled air washing the nearby crowd with a blast of heat.

"_**Transit twelve departing in one minute."**_

Toby blocked out the cool artificial female voice, the cacophony of voices, and the thousands of footsteps as he navigated to the train's doorway.

"_**Please enter in a timely manner and have a nice day."**_

Sighing, Toby tightened his beret as the doors hissed open. The crowd instantly grew louder and he could feel impatient hands on his back pushing him.

"Damn humans are flooding this place like a festering disease." Grabbing a sticky support pole, Toby turned to see another C-Sec officer, a turian, glaring at him with distaste. His stomach flipped as he recognized the facial markings. Attempting to dispel the tension, Toby decided to make the first move.

"Captain Vikar, good morning."

"Heiko, don't talk to me."

Backing off, Toby inspected the prejudiced turian. His reptilian head was stenciled with crimson paint, the pattern serving as a form of identification among his species sorting out colony they were from. Appropriately, the vivid pattern complimented the natural negative energy he radiated and the whole train seemed to recognize it. Most cowered in their seats, afraid to even look Vikar in the eye. Though Heiko wanted nothing more than to move to a distant seat away from this adversary he had to work with, he knew that would be interpreted as a sign of weakness and would give this captain more reason to resent him. So, Toby did exactly the opposite, standing his ground and proudly lifting his chin. Vikar clicked his mandibles in resigned acceptance turning away. Inwardly, Toby gave a hiss of disgust. Though Vikar had a reputation among the Special Response group for brutalizing humans and sexually harassing females of all gender, C-Sec's current Executor always dismissed the evidence of his actions, no matter how irrefutable it was. Toby knew the turian had committed murder and rape through abuse of his power, but he was defenseless to take action on it. Most of C-Sec protected Vikar; indirectly enabling his corruption to spread to more people than Toby cared to think about. Feeling a flare of rage at this indignity, Toby decided to take a risk by responding.

"Okay, I won't talk to you. Sir."

Turning back towards him, Vikar's mandibles flared and his massive frame seemed to swell as he rose to his full height, towering over Toby. _Rash, Toby. Rash...and ill-advised._

"What did I tell you Heiko?" Vikar snarled, pushing his way forward.

Toby's blood pressure rose subtly, but he took several deep breaths to calm himself down. _What is wrong with you, don't let him get into your head._Pushing back, he solidified his stance. The train lurched forward on the magnetic rail, though neither seemed to notice. Sensing Vikar's boiling rage, several bystanders averted their gaze. Vikar's icy gray eyes bore into his with an intensity that few could withstand. Shaking with rage at his own weakness, Toby broke eye contact first. Vikar snickered at his small victory and sat back down, moving his penetrating stare towards an attractive human female sitting on one of the benches. Vikar held a lustful gaze at the poor girl who squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. _You can't do anything about it Toby, let it go._

"Please stop looking at me," she said in timid protest. Retaliating, Vikar's flicked his tongue flirtatiously. Mortified, her face turned beat red as she quickly turned away. Unabated, Vikar opened his omni-tool and scanned her from across the train. Toby froze, shocked mute. _What in the hell is he doing?_

"Vikar! This is unacceptable. _Stop_."

The turian looked at him with disbelief; had the human honestly dared to stand up to him?

"What did you just say, _human_?"

"You heard me just fine. _Stop._"

His gaze unwavering, Toby noticed Vikar's three fingered hand slowly move for his gun. _No. No chance is he that much of an idiot__._ Vikar stood slowly, trembling with fury. With a sudden movement, he lunged forward, their faces mere inches apart. Fumes of pungent alcohol spilled out of his mouth, washing over Toby's face. Resisting the impulse to gag, Toby kept a straight face as he stared into his cold, brittle eyes. The turian's true intentions were impossible to discern, but Toby could feel an electric tension in the air. Before he even had time to blink, a fist slammed into his diaphragm. His vision flashed white as the pain overwhelmed and he groped blindly for a support to stop from crashing to his knees. The train was deadly silent as they watched the conflict; none dared to step in.

"You don't give orders to a superior officer, _Sergeant_," Vikar hissed. Toby fought the urge to retaliate; he knew that would _assuredly_ get his ass fired with fallout repercussions that could affect the entire human race. Though it went against all his instincts, he knew the only way to win this fight was to quietly stand his ground. The knowledge that the turian would easily stand victorious in any hand-to-hand engagement was enough to hold him back. Between their metallic plating, considerable strength and avian level of agility, attacking a turian was not unlike taking on an enraged bear with his bare hands. Snarling, Vikar paced in a half-circle, clearly expecting a fight from the human who challenged him. The train thankfully began to decelerate and the crowd of people started to talk, attempting to break the awkward silence that filled the cabin.

Looking to his right, Toby saw an old man, his face creased with age, the wrinkles covering his beady eyes which resembled coal pressed into a lump of dough. Whiskers protruded from his ears and his eyebrows were unkempt, matching his bird-nest hair. His face was red with anger.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The old man's grip was strong on his arm as he helped him up.

"And…and you need to calm down," the old man yelled, poking his shaking finger into Vikar's chest. Vikar looked at the finger with disgust and slapped it away, turning back to Toby.

"I should have killed you Heiko."

"Well you could have, you know that? Are you really going to let an old man stop _you_?"

Vikar sneered and shook his head.

"For a supposedly intelligent species, you can't see past your own ignorance."

As the doors opened, Vikar stepped off the train, chuckling to himself.

"I'm guessing this is your stop?" The old man asked, his guppy like eyes looking at Toby.

"Yes it is. Thanks for the help." Toby glanced at the girl who was harassed by Vikar. She cracked a small smile, pulling a strand of hair from her face with a small hand. Toby nodded at her and stepped off the train. _It's just going to be one of those days__. _A horde of people stepped off the train with him, most of which were dressed in clean blue C-sec uniforms; their headwear displaying their field of expertise. Toby grunted in response to the pain in his chest as he looked over the C-Sec station entrance. Armed guards lined the walls, watching over the crowd, scanning for any sign of trouble. If someone was dumb enough to start something in the C-Sec terminal, they would be put down faster than the blink of an eye.

A species known as the batarians were starting to show signs of disturbance lately. They had been making numerous amounts of threats every day, enough for C-Sec to be constantly on edge. While the zealous percentage of the species intending to cause trouble was small, they forced the Council and C-Sec to keep a close eye on them.

Toby admired the building's structure as he stood on the platform. C-Sec's vaulted ceilings were made from glass panels that jutted out into the Wards arms, letting natural light flow in. With a chuckle, he noticed they bore a striking resemblance to the Louvre pyramids back on Earth. Lacking the distinctive vibrancy of the holographic advertisements from the previous station (not present here due to some obscure law regarding alien marketing in government buildings), this station was bland but it had a certain sharpness to it that could keep anyone's attention. Suddenly, Toby felt something poking into his ribs along with an intimidating presence. A deep voice resonated behind him.

"Don't move or I kill you right here."

Instantly recognizing the voice, Toby's heartbeat slowed. Spinning around, he caught the eyes of his good friend and partner, Brian Hilliard. Toby playfully put his hands up in the air looking at his friend.

"Don't make me punch you in the throat, Brian."

A wicked grin slid over Hilliard's chapped lips and his blue eyes glowed warmly.

"Damn, Brian, you're going to get bitched out by Lieutenant Cugasi for keeping your hair that long, you know that right?" Toby said persistently.

Brian took a meaty hand and ran it through his shaggy hair. Though it broke protocol, that was just the kind of person Brian was; one that ran wild and loved to mess with people. Sometimes he tested the boundaries of good taste; a fine example was his love of confusing the elcor by calling them space gorillas. Toby had been assigned as Brian's partner a long time ago, most likely to keep an eye on him although they served as partners for years while serving in the Enforcement sector of C-Sec .

"Yeah, maybe, but I think I can charm him enough to where he'll let me keep it. What do ya' think?"

Toby paused, comically screwing up his face, pretending to actually consider the question.

"Hell, Brian, a person of your charismatic stature and stunning looks, I'll bet you can."

Brian scratched his wide cleft chin, grinning and shaking his head.

"You're an ass, Heiko."

They shared a laugh and approached the elevator leading to the CSSR section of the academy. Stepping into the elevator, they were met with the foul stench of body odor. The source of the nauseating scent came from an anorexic human male, zip cuffs around his wrists. His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to plead his case to his turian handler.

"I swear it was mine! Someone put it on me when I wasn't looking."

"Why did your run from me then, tell me that?"

"I was scared man, I was scared!"

"No, I think you ran because you _knew_ we saw you sell those drugs and you _thought _you could escape."

"No! I-I-I...you're wrong, man!"

"Oi! Be quiet." Brian shouted. The drug dealer stepped back, looking up at Brian's six foot three massive frame.

"Hey, let me go with the humans," he said, turning back to his handler.

The turian officer looked at Brian and Toby, taking notice of the CSSR emblems blazing on their chests and berets.

"Have you heard of Special Response before? Those guys are the ones that probably killed your other drug dealer friends when your buddies didn't cooperate with the regular officers. Those are the guys that bust in your house in the middle of the night and shoot everything to hell."

Eyes wide, the drug addict began trembling. Brian chuckled at the pathetic response. With his pinky finger the girth of a sausage, Brian pulled his collar down, revealing an N7 Special Forces tattoo on his neck. The addict whimpered and turned to the turian once more.

"Well, if there is one bruise on me before I get to jail, I am going to _sue_ you, turian, so...don't beat me!" The turian officer and the other police personnel all shook their heads and snickered at the druggy's way of blackmail. The elevator shuddered to a stop and the doors opened into a small hallway. The turian turned towards Brian and Toby.

"Thanks for making this guy shut up. He's been jabbering at me for over an hour now and I am seriously thinking about using police brutality," the turian said, cackling through the joke. Brian and Toby nodded sympathetically and walked into the marble hallway.

"Brian, that was pretty smooth," Toby remarked, running two hands down his shirt and smoothing the creases.

"That's how I roll, Toby."

"Brian?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Brian grinned as they entered CSSR's central hub. Holographic monitors covered the walls in the open work environment, feeding information from the thousands of hidden scanners and cameras on the Citadel. Some of the monitors even played the morning news, the announcements, traffic reports and atmospheric readings entertaining a group of salarians. The C-Sec designers thought it was a good idea to have the central hub an open environment in order to facilitate improved team-building and communication skills. Despite the welcoming atmosphere, Toby never liked being in the office; he preferred being out in the field waiting for something big to happen.

Gazing around the hub, Toby examined the activity; dispatchers talked calmly into their headpieces, tapping commands into their computers. Toby walked over to his desk and caught Vikar's eye from across the room. He didn't seem too happy. It looked like Toby's lack of physical retaliation on the subway bothered Vikar more than it should have. Preparing to focus on his duties, Heiko grabbed the back of his swivel chair and sat down at his small work station. The stations were set up in a triad fashion: three person teams, one dispatcher and two force members. Each cell reported to a superior officer: ten cells per Ward arm, each cell having six operatives made up the 180-strong CSSR unit, which later this year, are planning on doubling the size of the force.

"Good morning Pira." Toby said, greeting his dispatcher of two years. They had all ranked up from doing grunt work on the gritty streets of the Wards, working for the Enforcement division. C-Sec knew humans were more than capable for Special Response, but some very high ranking officers, politicians, and even Director Kieran fought a constant battle against human applications. With two highly experienced men like Hilliard and Heiko trying their hardest to get into Special Response, they couldn't ignore them forever. They were essentially the guinea pigs to see if humans actually had the skill, which every alien knew they did, but they didn't want to admit it.

"Morning Toby." Pira T'Estoni responded pleasantly, her pale blue face with chic white stripes looked towards Brian when he sat himself heavily in his chair. "Brian, I suggest you clean up your desk. It looks like a varren pit." Toby's train if thought over the confrontation with Vikar in the subway suddenly derailed while looking at Pira. She always had a way of lightening up the mood with her wit and snappy comebacks. Brian put his booted feet up on the desk, unwrapping a lollypop and shoving it in his mouth. He pinched the wrapper between his fingers and dropped it on his desk out of spite for the dispatcher. The asari made a disgusted face and put a hand on her forehead. Brian pulled the lollypop out of his mouth with an audible slurp, grating on her nerves even further.

"You are such a child, you know that Brian?"

Toby powered up his holographic monitor to sift through his mail and do his daily list of things, listening dimly in on their conversation. Brian simply grinned and leaned back into his chair, enjoying Pita's frustration.

"And get your feet off the desk!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

"Make me, Pira."

The asari's shoulders slanted as she raised an eyebrow and put two fists on her hips.

"You don't want me to, Hilliard."

"Oh yeah?"

"I may be like a foot shorter than you, but when I have to carry out orders…I get them done."

"Are there orders dealing with boots on tables in C-Sec?"

"Do you purposely try to annoy me, Hilliard?"

With a wide grin, he answered, "Yes."

"Let me ask you one question. Why?"

"You're just so _cute_ when you get flustered." Pira crossed both arms leaning back in her uncomfortable plastic chair.

"I think I know where this is going," she groaned.

"Will you go out on a date with me?"

"No!"

"Oh, come on Pira." He leaned closer towards her, putting his muscular forearms on the glass desktop. She leaned further back in the chair, avoiding his cherry breath. "I think we have some great chemistry...maybe even a connection."

"No we don't."

"Come on, yeah we do."

Pira pressed a button and her holographic monitor inflated, blocking his face. Toby peeked over his monitor to see Brian shaking, holding his sides with laughter. Toby suppressed a laugh and opened his mail checking for any updates.

"Heiko, how is your family doing?" Pira asked, changing the subject. Toby looked away from his monitor and peered at her, then grabbed a picture frame off his desk depicting him and his family.

"They're great, thanks for asking."

"What about Gia?" Pira's blue finger touched the seven year old quarian's face, smiling.

"Gia is thriving. She's so full of energy; it's sometimes hard to believe. That girl is literally bouncing off the walls."

"Get her a leash," Brian quipped with yet another grin. "They have children leashes you know."

Ignoring him, Pira continued, "I remember when you brought her in that one evening. She was beautiful, Toby. You are so lucky." Toby couldn't hold back a grin with that complement. "She was asking about everything. 'What's that? What's that?' You are right about one thing; she is _full_ of energy, and damn cute."

"Thank you Pira, that means a lot."

"You should bring her in more often. I think everyone in here likes to see her. Well, except for Vikar and all the other turians who have a thumb up their ass." Pira said, respectfully setting his picture down on the desk.

A green light pulsed at the top right of Toby's screen. Realizing it was from Nashira, he quickly opened it, fearing the worst.

_Toby,_

_After school, Gia has a doctor appointment. Just thought you would like to know. Love you._

_Nash_

Relieved, he closed the message releasing a restrained breath of air. Distantly, he was aware of some commotion and suddenly realized Matriarch Komani was clapping to get everyone's attention. Everyone in the room put their full attention to the lead officer of the CSSR. Toby admired her immensely; at 800 years old, she was one tough and experienced asari. Bright orange tattoos were smeared across her face like war paint, the distinctive skin folds of her race reconstructed almost entirely with metal, a reminder of a failed operation long ago while serving in the Commandos.

"Everyone, listen up!" she began, her gravelly, smoke-altered voice sounding almost mechanical, "We overheard a threat today by a small group of terrorists who mentioned attacking an embassy on one of the five Ward arms. We don't know where this will take place or even if it's going to take place, but our sources say that the group is likely batarian." The crowd went silent, save for a small chorus of sighs; everyone knew how bad batarian terrorists were. They were brutal, heartless, and dangerous. The batarian's were becoming hostile lately with their politics colliding against the Council. Everyone knew it was a matter of time before something was going to explode and today could be that day. The room began to buzz with chatter, but was cut short by Komani's ear shattering whistle. "I want everyone to be ready for this if it happens today. This could be the spark that lights the powder keg and I want us to be there to cut the wick, understood? I want operatives from Cell 1-1 to be on the Kithoi Ward." Toby leaned over to Brian, nudging his ribs while Komani assigned the other groups their positions.

"I guess it makes sense for batarians to be rising up," Toby stated, attempting to make conversation. Brian's eyebrows knitted together and he tossed his lollypop in the trash.

"But why are they doing this? They know the Council is on a hair trigger with taking them out."

Toby shrugged.

"They're terrorists, Brian. That's the only explanation."

Konami's voice once again lit up the station.

"Okay, everyone, head out. The dispatchers will keep you all in touch and updated on the situation." She finished and walked into the center of the open room, barking orders to everyone else aggressively. Toby nodded to his dispatcher.

"Keep us on a live feed, Pira."

"Got it, Toby, you can count on me."

"I know." He clapped her on the back and followed Brian's brisk pace towards the garage. Cell 1-1 piled into the large elevator.

"Lieutenant, what do you think?"

Toby turned to see the ex-asari commando Toby knew as Fomina talking to Lieutenant Cugasi. The Lieutenant turned around and looked at Fomina. He was aggressive looking, with his head tucked in his shoulders like a bull. His salt and pepper hair was thick but buzzed evenly around, and his massive hands scratched his fur coat. The Lieutenant's beady brown eyes looked over the intelligence that was being passed on to the team leaders through his omni-tool.

"I don't have an answer for you, but when the shit hits the fan I want you to be there to catch the pieces _before _it hits the ground. Hilliard, don't do anything stupid either, you idiotic prick. Heiko, watch over his ass for me."

The LT finished his orders, flexing his jaw muscles through his five-o-clock shadow, darkening his gaunt cheeks as the muscles blocked out the light from above. Cell 1-1 cracked a laugh before dispersing to their assigned vehicles. Toby approached his designated spot.

"Open." The door to vehicle No. 12 split open, allowing Brian and Toby to jump in. Waving a hand over the holographic ignition, the vehicle hummed to life. When the doors shut, Toby took a deep breath and looked towards Brian. "Brian, did the Lieutenant seem tense to you?" After strapping his burly frame into the seat, Brian peered at Toby.

"No, not really. He was acting normal, I thought."

"Hmmm, never mind then." Brian leaned over with a concerned look on his face.

"Toby, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"I don't really want to talk about it." Toby pushed the acceleration forward and they shot out of the garage. "Are you hungry?"

"This is _Brian_ you are talking to. What do you think the answer to that question is?"

Nashira stood on the subway, making her way towards her assigned job site for the day. She found the crowds comforting; the overcrowded living spaces and near-complete lack of privacy reminding her of life on the quarian Flotilla. But, thinking back to the Migrant Fleet, meant thinking back to her prior life: her leaving and loss of her prior husband.

_Why are you still thinking about this? That was another life. _

As a temporary distraction from her thoughts, she tightened the tool belt that hugged her hips and slipped two thumbs under the strings of her backpack. News was droning through the train from the speakers overhead, entertaining many of the passengers who didn't have time this morning to sit down with a cup of coffee and catch up on the day's events. Nashira looked around the train, most of which was occupied by asari and salarians. She was the only quarian on the train, which wasn't all that unusual. The quarian race was small, less than 20 million strong, and most kept to the Migrant Fleet. Despite that, she didn't feel alone. Her body leaned forward as the train came to a stop. She stepped off the train and ascended the stairs, the metro emptying out into a large street. She got several dirty looks from a group of volus that walked by, but she just ignored them completely.

The street was filthy and slick with water pushed by a krogan cleaning the tiled floor of his fish shop. She eyeballed the black, oily water, careful to step around the mysterious elixir which had an armada of scales twirling amidst the fluid. _Filthy. I sure am glad to have married Toby. He can't stand a mess. _Her thoughts wandered back to their spotless apartment. _Toby. _Her mind drifted further, going back to the weird encounter from earlier that morning. _He only gets that dream when something big happens...for once I hope his "sixth sense" is wrong__._ Nashira was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even hear her name being called from behind.

"Nashira Heiko. Nashira Heiko!" Snapping out of her thoughts, she spun around, defensively clasping onto her backpack. Her eyes went wide when she saw her boss hobbling up behind her.

"Donny, I am so sorry," she apologized putting a hand up to her mouth. The man that stood before her crouched over, trying to catch a breath from the chase.

"Those cigarettes are finally catching up to me, after fifty years. It feels like breathing through a straw. You should be happy you don't know what that feels like." Nashira looked at her old friend friend's leathery face.

"Actually I do." Donny pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his large nose and his cheeks became red.

"Oh damn it," he grumbled waving a hand in front of his face. "Do you really breathe through a tube?"

"No, I was just joking with you Donny." He smiled and pointed at her.

"You got me again, you little devil." He pulled his gray hair into a pony tail and Nashira was able to admire the colorful bracelets that dangled loosely on his tan wrists. Her eyes sparkled with intrigue at the beautiful metal beads, each with a string gliding through their center. Each bead had different ship names; ships he had worked on when he was an engineer in the Alliance. Donny was a close friend to the Heiko family. They had dinner often and they had grown close, close enough for Toby to call Don a hippie without repercussion. Upon hearing that description of Donny, Nashira looked up what a hippie was, finding out they were music fanatics who favored peace back on Earth a little more than two-hundred years ago. She had giggled violently when she realized Donny's wardrobe alone fit the description too.

"So, what are we going to be working on today?" Nashira asked, returning her mind to the present.

Donny coughed, still out of breath. "Underground pipe is leaking onto some faulty wiring and needs to be fixed ASAP." Donny put an arm around her shoulders pulling her to the safety of the sidewalk. His omni-tool flashed open, displaying a map with a gleaming waypoint. A green line snaked its way from their position to their destination. "Well, what are we waiting for Nashira, let's go."

"Hey, I'm following _you,_ Donny."

"Right." He closed the map and began walking down the busy street with Nashira right on his tail. Their current location in the Wards was not known for much hostility, but it definitely had less upkeep than the political or marketplace areas and as such had a disquieting feel. Adding to the discomfort, this sector was primarily inhabited by non-humans, making Nashira worried for her companion. Looking at her boss, she grinned as she watched him move along, a slight bounce in his step. _No need to worry, that happy man poses no threat to anyone._

"Nash, we need to take a right here." Donny said, pointing to a thin alleyway ten yards to their right.

Nashira stopped, peering into the claustrophobic alley. Her sharp eyes took in the details: heavily shadowed, littered, lots of places to hide. It appeared uninhabited, but she still laid a firm arm against her boss, preventing him from going forward.

"Donny, we should stay on the main roads." Nashira stated voice thick with concern.

Donny stopped trying to push her arm away; everything about her body language suggested she was worried and on full alert. His mouth opened slightly and he looked back down the alley. A/C units hung on the walls: buzzing, crackling, dripping mildewed water from yellowed rubber tubes. Stagnant puddles of water had accumulated under filth caked dumpsters, flies orbiting the stench.

"It's trashed, but it doesn't look unsafe."

"I know. It's just-Toby made me promise not to walk through alleyways on the Wards. Especially alleys like this."

"Toby said that, did he?"

Nashira nodded. "I just want to keep that promise, if it's okay with you."

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. He is the cop, he probably knows better," he said, humoring her.

"Thanks Donny." He clapped her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it."

He routed another path and they started walking back down the large populated streets.

"Hey Donny, this doesn't mean I am a wimp."

"Oh I know Nash, I have seen you do some crazy things over the years that even I don't have the guts to do." Nashira laughed at the weird human terminology.

"Guts, Donny? Please enlighten me on this term." She patted her flat stomach. "Like the things in here?"

"Yeah, I will tell you only if you tell me what a bosh'tet is."

"Let's just say that it's the mother of all bad words, Donny."

"Ah, I see. So you have a very dirty mouth then?"

Nashira gasped. "No! Well, maybe. Don't tell Toby about the things I say on the job when we invite you over to dinner next time."

"Oh, I'll tell him _everything_, like that one time you talked that krogan out of mugging us. Remember? You explained how radioactive decay works and told him we had toxic containers in our bags that would melt his arm off." Nashira chuckled under her breath while Donny erupted in raucous laughter.

"Yeah, what I said didn't make any sense though, but he believed me." The two laughed and joked for the next kilometer of walking when they stumbled upon a manhole with a red holographic blanket over the metal lid. Donny keyed in a six digit code, unlocking all four locks that kept the hole sealed. They grabbed the metal handles and, with a grunt of exertion, lifted off the cap.

"Well, I sure am glad I have you as a partner, Nash." Nashira looked into the hole and noticed it was full of wires and was very tight.

"You really need to get over your claustrophobia, Donny," Nashira quipped, pulling her backpack off. "You're worse than Toby."

"Get over it?" He exclaimed, grabbed Nashira's bag so she could climb into the hole. "That's like telling you to sell Gia. You just can't." She looked up to Donny, cocking her head.

"Well that was a good comparison. You win this round." She slipped into the hole, powering up her omni-tool and turning on the light. Thousands of wires ran off into the dark, hundreds of yards down the tunnel under the Ward arm. _When the Keepers can't fit, that's when they call in the skinny quarian. _

She yelled up to Donny, grabbing the backpack he threw down. "Where does this lead?"

"It looks like...ten kilometers towards the Presidium and it also runs under C-Sec five kilometers down. Say hi to Toby for me," he joked.

"Donny says hello, honey!" Her voice went nowhere, consumed by the black curtains allowing her to gaze only so far. Nashira shook her head, pulling out a tool to help find the severed wires she anticipated to find; after all, these wires must be thousands of years old. The tool was an invention of her own; it worked by pressing metallic contact prongs against a wire, then sending a burst current through the line. If there was a break, she would see a spark. Pressing the tool against the wire, she immediately noticed a flicker of light twenty-five yards down. "Donny, we were right. It's just a severed wire."

"Again, you never cease to impress me, Nash."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Donny. You have to remember I am a quarian." She rolled her eyes, grabbing heat shrinks, soldering equipment, and rubber tubing. "Have you ever heard the myth that humans use ten percent of their brains," Nashira asked.

"Yes, I read that somewhere."

"Well, I think quarians use twenty percent of theirs." Nashira laughed at his distant chuckle as she trekked deep into the underground tube. The repair didn't take long; five minutes at most. Putting her tools away, she returned to the opened manhole; the only area with natural light streaming into the cavernous inner workings of the Citadel. Noticing Donny's wiry hand reaching down to help, she was back on the surface with ease.

"Well, that was fun," she said, out of breath and wiping her blue and white cloth off. Donny sealed the manhole then handed Nashira her tool pack.

"That's all I needed from you today, Nashira. Thanks for the help. Before you go..." Donny shoved a hand in his pack pulling out a box. "A little something for Gia I picked up this morning." He handed her a box with a model of an Alliance vessel. Nashira's breath was taken away by the thoughtful gift.

"Donny…I, I don't know how to thank you!"

"You don't have to thank me for anything, Nash. You're a hard working mom and both you and Gia deserve it." Nashira lunged at him, giving Donny a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered in his neck.

"Now you get back home and take care of that beautiful daughter of yours. I know how important she is to you and Toby." Nashira carefully placed the box in her pack. "Now then, do you need me to walk you to the subway?"

"Donny, I'm tougher than you think and a thirty millimeter wrench to the head can take down anything. I can handle myself."

"Heh, you're right. Keelah Se'lai, Nashira."

"Keelah Se'lai Donny." Nashira smiled, watching one of her few friends walk down the street.

Dressed in civilian clothes, Skave swiftly made his way through the crowds. He cringed, inwardly, as he navigated the throng of bodies. _All of these humans are tainting this society of the elite. Hot, weak bodies of mindless flesh, wandering around this place of beauty, their every footstep plaguing society. _A human male bumped roughly against his shoulder, pushed along by the tide. Though he apologized quickly and respectfully, Skave had to resist the urge to crush the human's skull into the pavement. _How dare him! _His heartbeat rose quickly, adrenaline flooding his mind. _Your time will come Skave, this isn't the time to attract attention. _Reluctantly leaving the human to mind his business, he pushed his tall 6'6" frame through the crowd and walked into one of many courtyards of the Citadel. Pushing the blight of the human race out of his mind, Skave had to admire the architecture. Curving white pathways cut their way through thick expanses of vibrant grass. The shadow from the Kioska Insurance building dwarfed Skave in its godly presence. The building was simple in design, following the shape of a cylinder, but that didn't matter to Skave; all he cared about was getting to the top. Businessmen, mostly humans, strolled the pathways talking amongst themselves in small packs. _One day we will purge them from the galaxy. _Even the way the humans walked with confidence made Skave want to retch. He scrutinized their clothes, the color of their lavished, massaged skin and bleached white teeth. Even their hands were perfectly kept; no wrinkles, unblemished skin...perfection. All of these details, the false superiority, sprouted yet another vein of hatred towards them. _Keep focused, Skave, deal with them later. The mission comes first. _

The target building, Josh Stago's building, was directly behind Skave and close to two kilometers away. In person, the distance looks a lot farther than in the holograph. Skave liked this though; it was going to challenge his marksmanship even more. In the turian military, he had originally trained as a sniper; his marksmanship skills surpassed the entire class and gained him the attention of the Turian Special Forces. To compliment his unparalleled accuracy, he had exceptional eyesight and was classed as the best potential body type in turian ranking system. He was the perfect soldier.

Skave's only concern now was to get up to the roof without being noticed. The straps of his backpack dug into his shoulders, bearing the weight of his high powered rifle. He broke it down to its smallest possible size so he could carry it around without being noticed. The 34" barrel was easily the largest part, requiring a conspicuous black duffel to keep it hidden. Despite his status as a Spectre, a soldier outside the law, this mission was an illegal act, a so-called black operation; discretion was key.

The courtyard fountain sprayed him with a fine mist of cool water as he walked by it, now half-way across the lawn. His eyes zipped around, searching for the entrances detailed on the blueprints. _One, two, three...and four. Three main entrances with alarm systems that can detect any firearm, a fourth door around the side. That one was occupied by an armed guard, but there were no firearm detectors. _Skave heard two sets of footsteps approaching from behind, the distinctive clack of the heels clearly from military material. _Damn. I knew there was a tight watch on security today, threats of terrorism, but they caught on faster than expected. _Skave quickened his pace across the lawn, now alarmed by the pursuers biting at his heels. The chasing footsteps quickened in pace, closing the distance. _Fifty more yards._

"Excuse me, sir. Sir!"

A grin appeared on his face hearing the human voices. _This mission is to be complete at any cost, no matter the casualties, even if they are friendly. _This operation was a decision made under the table from Councilor Velarn, unnoticed by the other two Council members. This contradicted the binding law that required the triad of councilors to make decisions as a whole, but it was a necessary break of protocol. Skave felt his knife burning a hole in his side under his jacket. He knew its use would come...soon. Darting into a thin alleyway on the left side of the building, he could see the steel door, guard standing in front of it with an assault rifle draped over his chest. Skave closed in on him quickly, finally catching his attention.

"Hey Barns, stop that turian!" The guard by the door pointed his rifle at Skave, consciously aware that if his accuracy was off by as little as three inches or if the rounds penetrated the turians body, he would be threatening the lives of his two colleagues chasing the turian. Fortunately for Skave, that was always the intent.

"Stop!" Skave did what he was told, but by now he was in arms reach of the one named "Barns". _If he had any sense, he would back up. Very unprofessional._

"What's this? Your translator broken or something? Huh?" Skave could hear the two guards behind him panting; he could even hear their heats racing, pushing tainted blood through their disgusting veins and arteries that kept these sacks of meat alive. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, nothing sir," Skave told him innocently.

"Grab it off him Barnes, and you…don't move a muscle."

"Yes sir, I will cooperate." He could feel them tugging at his bag, giving him his chance. His right arm sprung out, his fist connecting with Barns throat. His trachea, esophagus, and neck all broke form the blow and he dropped like a sack. Like lighting, Skave's other hand reached under his arm, grabbing the slender combat knife which was designed to stab, get between ribs, and joints. Spinning around quickly, his blade went into the side of the first guard's neck, separating his spine, then he gave a brutal yank and slipped the blade into the third guard's ribs, puncturing his kidney and breaking his lower back. He gasped and fell to the ground trying and failing to breathe, but in a rare display of mercy, Skave jumped on him and drove the blade deep into his eye, destroying his cerebellum and instantly snapping the life out of the torture. If he were alone, Skave would have stood over the dying sack of meat to watch him die; he found it sexually pleasing somehow, like watching a pornographic film. Sharing the last moments with another was utterly intimate and Skave loved feeling the energy in the atmosphere slip away. It truly was fascinating.

Composing himself after the three rapid kills, Skave quickly grabbed an earpiece off one of the corpses and listened on the channel. The only radio chatter was bouncing between a woman and a male officer who were obviously in some sort of dispute over the A/C in the security room being too high. _Nothing. _Satisfied he hadn't been compromised Skave kicked in the steel door and dragged the bodies inside of the small room. He took a fire axe and jammed it through the handles of the two atrium doors, at the very least buying him some time when someone came looking for the bodies if the building had any sort of reliable security system.

With the mission going flawlessly, Skave looked to find a small service elevator. _Perfect. _ He punched the up arrow on the elevator and the doors immediately opened. He stepped in, heading for the 250th floor: the very top. The doors shuddered closed and vertigo set in. _Going smoothly so far, zero mistakes and only one combat incident. _The doors hissed open and he found himself in a concrete metal stairwell. There was a red arrow on the wall with white text under it:

**Danger: Rooftop 3 levels up. Suit up before exiting building.**

Skave fully expected another guard to be up the stairs. He slipped the knife back in its sheath, quickly running up the stairs while keeping his footsteps as silent as possible.

"Hello?" Again, Skave was right about another guard. He got to the last landing and saw an air tight room with a guard reading a data pad. Skave quickened into a sprint; he pushed his palm into the guards face with all his might: shattering his skull, the trauma causing instant death. A camera in the corner of the ceiling was panning towards Skave. With a quick motion, he drew the human's pistol from its holster then jammed it between the camera and the wall. The servos whine in response, then shut down as the mechanism destroyed itself. Skave set his bag on the ground, hastily unzipping it and ripping out his oxygen mask. Citadel atmosphere dissipated to unsafe levels at this height as it was only breathable up to seven meters. His fist punched the button and the room sealed itself off. Orange hazard lights started spinning on the wall then the door opened up. This was the tallest building on this Ward arm, and the view was spectacular. _Twenty-two meters forward then forty meters right. _

Skave clambered over the pipes, finally finding what he was looking for. There was a flat plane of metal three meters off the ground, giving him the perfect firing position. He crept onto the box, took in the view, and then began assembling his rifle.

"Very top floor." Skave closed his eyes and could remember Mr. Stago's clothes. He always wore white. He chuckled to himself; white was ideal for a sniper. It shone brightly in the sunlight and stood out in a crowd. Skave flattened out his duffle bag, using it as a shooting mat.He snapped the tripod to his spotting scope open and ranged the target building. The red text read 1,365 meters, just as he expected, give or take a few meters to where Mr. Stago was going to be standing, or sitting in the room. Flicking open the bipod to his XM-100ASR, he tucked the anti-material rifle into his shoulder and began slowing his breathing with the intent of calming his heartbeat and providing additional stability. During his time at sniper school, he taught himself how to fire between heartbeats providing excellent accuracy. Long range rifle shooting wasn't only mental, it was an incredible physical task. His 24x powered scope automatically aligned itself, compensating for bullet drop, humidity, distance and the temperature of the atmosphere, and finally factoring the weight of the barrel. All he had to do was wait for Mr. Stago to make the mistake of entering his office.

Nick Roberts felt like hell this particular morning…no, he felt like hell every morning. He missed his coffee because he woke up late with a splitting head ache. He groaned, his veins still throbbing behind his pink, droopy eyes. He would have done anything to stay tucked in his bed, but he can't skip out on work; protecting Josh Stago is far more important than his trivial health problems. The pistol tucked under his expensive clothes felt heavier today than usual, for reasons he couldn't quite place. Along with three armed guards, Nick trailed Mr. Stago as they approached his office. The smell of his cologne swam into his nose, a potent whiff causing Nick's headache to swim behind his eyes. Light from the window pierced his brain like a branding tool.

"Mr. Stago?" Nick asked, closed his eyes and rubbing them with two fists.

"Yes Nick?" Mr. Stago responded, his voice hoarse yet charismatic.

"I need to run to the bathroom, be back in a second." Without looking at him, Mr. Stago raised a hand and waved him off. Nick pulled his black jacket off as he entered the luxurious bathroom that was lined with wood and mahogany colored granite. It smelled of cleaner and sterile agents making his stomach somersault and his brain burn. He looked into the mirror and splashed cold water into his face. Water dripped off his pale face and dampened his red hair into wet clusters. The pistol weighed him down as he pushed his arms back into his coat. Roberts toweled his face off with a white cloth and wished he was at home, just for today. His bullet resistant vest seemed to constrict his chest, forcing him to breathe shallow, but keeping it tight was of the utmost importance. Fighting the urge to leave on illness for the rest of the day, Nick regained his composure. His long fingers straightened out his black tie and he walked out of the bathroom, though a short hallway and into Mr. Stago's circular office.

"Nick, are you okay?" Nick looked at Mr. Stago's perfectly tanned face; it was creased with worry and concern as he fingered a cigarette out of a silver case stenciled with their businesses logo.

"Yes sir, I am fine, sir." Nick watched him lean back in his plush dark leather chair and light a cigarette. There were two pictures on his desk, one of him and his wife on a yacht back on Earth and one of his three children in a green park all smiling at the camera, their eyes glittering with life. Nick never had a relationship that worked; he couldn't comprehend the need for one, nor did he understand having children. Despite that, Mr. Stago's children looked like a good group of kids; they were lucky to have a good father. Stago was a good man and he was making a difference by placing humans higher in galactic society. Lately though, some elusive group or maybe some alien politicians had been making threats towards him, saying that he was a slave trader and a human supremacist. To compensate, Stago's body guards were on their toes, ready for any threat.

"I have a meeting over the phone in five minutes, my friends. I'll need the room to be cleared, temporarily." Mr. Stago's steely eyes flicked over his guards as he waved his cigarette in the air, blazing a trail of white smoke. Everyone nodded their heads and placed two fists at their sides. "Nick, you look like hell, are you sure you are okay?"

"I always look like hell, sir. There is no need to be worried." Mr. Stago exhaled a plume of smoke and sucked it through his nose, nodding his head. The ring on his finger looked more like a paper weight than anything else. Nick always admired his many rings; each looked like it was as expensive as his apartments yearly rent.

"Very well then." Stago said, returning to his work.

Nick rubbed his eyes when there was suddenly a gruesome snapping noise intermingled with the sound of cracked glass. Warm fluid splashed on his face, the sound of blood boiling and gurgling all-consuming. Horrified, he opened his eyes to see Mr. Stago holding his neck, thick jets of blood squirting through his fingers. Mr. Stago's steel eyes were stunned and starting to glaze over, a certain indication of imminent death. Nick stood there, shocked mute, his body flooded with primal fear. His vision momentarily flashed white; when he regained his sight, his boss's upper body instantaneously atomized into a fine red mist, several of his entrails exploding outward. Stago's husk collapsed onto the ground, the remaining pints of blood gushing out of the stump that used to be his waist.

A distant voice was yelling at Nick, telling him to duck for cover. Frozen, all he could do was stare at the remains of his boss, fear hatching from its inky embryo sewn in his stomach, crawling up his throat choking his screams.

"Nick! Get the fucking oxygen masks or we're all going to die!" All the blood drained from his face as his head snapped from the fist size hole in the window to Mr. Stago's mutilated body lying on the ground. Another round punched through the window, hitting his partner in the back and tearing him apart. Pieces of bone peppered Nick's face; nothing mattered to him anymore except to get his ass out of there as fast as possible.

"Oh shit, oh shit!" His face stung from the bone shrapnel embedded in his skin but he ignored it and ran as fast as he could towards the elevator. To his right, the wall was completely glass and he could just feel the sniper's sights on him, its sharp eyesight trying to kill him before the bullet could chew into his soft flesh. Adrenaline dumped into his veins as he ran towards the elevator, the metal box that was his salvation. He slammed into the wall of the elevator and the overwhelming feeling of safety enveloped him. Overcome with relief, he never saw the flash of light from the top of the distant tower. Moments later, everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Toby and Brian approached a small food stand in a filthy human-oriental section of the Wards. Red and yellow lights were blazing, looped Asiatic text shimmering brightly, the advertisements all but yelling "_**Buy my product!**_" at the passerby. The streets were crowded with short, black-haired Orientals, most of whom were carrying plastic bags stuffed to bursting with their assorted groceries. The market was only a block away, but Toby knew they had to stay close to their car in case something happened while they snooped around. He caught sight of their favorite soup stand in the distance. _This will take my mind off things, I hope. _The stand was a poor, broken down looking structure with rickety wooden stools and a beat-to-hell bar that had clearly been through a fire at one point in time. He loved places like these; shabby in appearance, but they had the curious tendency to serve the best food around. Brian and Toby pulled up a couple of stools and peered into the kitchen. Tendrils of steam from the super heated woks licked the filthy ceiling, causing condensation to patter to the floor in a gentle but steady rain. The pungent smell of assorted chilies burned the back of his sinuses and throat, making his mouth water.

"Oma, how are you today," Brian yelled to the toothless owner of the shack who hobbled over on her one leg.

"Yes yes. Wah you want?"

"Toby, what do you want," Brian asked elbowing him in the side.

"No. 1 with a ten on the heat scale."

"A ten, huh? Ah, what the hell, I'll do the same." Brian held up two fingers in front of the owners face. "Two No.1 with ten heat." He said slowly.

"Yes yes. Two ones with ten."

"That's right, Oma." Toby grinned at how reckless and fearless Brian was. The owner screamed like a banshee to the cooks with their orders and stepped outside to have a cigarette. The nicotine fumes washed over Toby, the sting causing his eyes to tear up.

"Hey Toby, why in the hell do you wear that ancient thing on your wrist?" Toby followed Brian's outstretched sausage like finger, his eyes focusing on the quarian-made watch. It meant so much to him, held so many memories, and kept him in check when at times he felt lost.

"This watch is very important to me. It runs like a work horse, it's simple, and never lets me down. Nashira gave it to me too, look." Brian leaned over looking at the Khelish numbers.

"Do you know how to read Khelish?"

"Some of it, I know how to speak a little bit too."

"I get that it's important to you; quarians aren't in the habit of giving away gifts unless they're fond of you or, in your case, in love with you. That in mind though, why do you keep it with you rather than keeping it on display at home?"

"First off, this watch can handle the vacuum of space, can go under several thousand feet of water, and is hand crafted. Secondly...well, the night I got this, I saw her face for the first time. How did we get talking about this anyways?"

Brian put his arms up in the air, exasperated. "_You're_ the one who started going into details, how about we just forget about it?"

"Two number one, yes yes." Oma had returned, pushing a steaming bowl of red soup under Toby's nose with a filthy, blackened hand.

"Here we go baby!" Brian immediately dug in, attacking it with his chopsticks and slurping at the spicy broth. "Dude, Toby how in the hell do I eat this thing?" Brian held up a piece of asari seafood that looked like a thick white leaf.

"You need to pull the film off the flesh with your teeth, and then just devour it." Toby said, laughing as Brian struggled with the alien meat.

"Like biting off the pantyhose of a beautiful woman," Brian joked. Toby started eating, downing half of the hot soup in minutes. His Asian background had exposed him to this delicacy years ago and he was used to the fieriness of the dish, which to some people, could bring them to their knees. As they enjoyed the meal, the clear earpiece buried in his ear chirped to life and could hear Pira's energetic voice projecting from the miniature speakers.

"Heiko, Hilliard, Pira here. Things just got serious." Pira began, her voice laced with fear, "The terrorists just hit the turian embassy, hard. Get in your vehicle ASAP so I can update you on a secure channel, Pira out." Brian and Toby both looked at each other, eyes wide with disbelief and utter shock. Hitting the turian embassy was stupid, even by terrorist's standards. It was like punching a bear in the face and expecting to survive.

"Let's get our asses moving!" Brian hopped off the stool, slammed some credits on the burnt wooden table top and followed Toby's order. A CSSR car hummed overhead, also pursuing the call, while Brian and Toby sprinted towards their own vehicle parked between a dumpster and a light pole. The doors cracked open and Toby threw himself into the neoprene seat. As this was a government owned vehicle, the interior was designed for function rather than comfort. It smelled of nauseating cleaning agents and rubber that reminded Toby of his days in the Enforcement section of C-Sec, dealing with drunks, troublemakers, and drug addicts. Out of the many things he hated in life, vomit was number one. The smell of it can instantly induce him to gag and the situation he had this morning didn't help at all with his phobia. Being in the C-Sec Enforcement was a pain in the ass. He left N7 after several years of service, only to be placed in a low-skill job where even though his credentials and experience surpassed his superiors, it was even more difficult to get into Special Response with all the jealous aliens acting so vindictive towards humans. Toby's hands glided over the holographic keyboard as he connected to a secure channel.

"Pira, Toby here, give us a sit-rep; what the hell is going on?" The public communication channel was buzzing with life as orders were being issued and questions where being thrown around. Toby glanced at Brian, who was reading briefing text, trying to make sense of everything.

"Batarian terrorists have attacked and seized control of the turian embassy. There have been casualties of many high ranking politicians and lesser, but respectable turians. This isn't good Toby." He picked up a hint of nervousness in her usually loud and charming voice.

"You know what this means Pira, right?"

"Yes I do. The batarians are starting to rebel." Toby could hear Pira sigh and then clear her throat. "Komani needs Cell 1-1 and 1-2 at the embassy ASAP. The other teams are directed to protect the other embassies, if for no other reason than to keep a close eye on things. It looks like you two are going to see some action today." Toby's stomach lifted into his chest at that last statement. Fear and excitement swirled through his consciousness, and his mind momentarily drifted back to his dream. _Is this what it was warning me about? _Gia, his daughter, was the one that seemed to be directly affected by this dream, but batarian terrorists taking over an embassy didn't have any obvious correlation. _No sense dwelling on the __damn dream, Toby. Thinking about it will just result in poor performance and you can't afford that. You've got a family waiting back home. _

"Family." He fought the urge to power on his omni-tool to send Nashira a message. He checked the watch hugging his wrist and bit his lower lip. It was better if she didn't know that he was probably going in to fight. She always told him not to tell her anything about his work until he got home, and even then she never asked him questions unless he wanted to talk about it. Toby loved his wife with all his heart and could talk to her about anything he wanted to, but normally he kept to himself and blocked it out. Like earlier, he knew to keep his mouth shut and tried not to scare her. He had never shared the details of the nightmare, just the impacts of it. Hell, he had even spent time trying to convince himself that it hadn't happened.

"Pira, I want you to keep us updated on any news you hear, even if it's something as simple as reporters arriving at the location. Has the attack been announced to the public yet?"

"Not yet, but you know how reporters are. They'll know soon."

"Yeah, I know. Keep them away as long as you can." Brian chimed in, getting the coordinates to the turian embassy. "Let's keep the media shitstorm off our backs for as long as possible."

"Until then, we need to make our way to the embassy. Brian, take the wheel and get us there as fast you can." Heiko ordered, clipping his seat belt into place, avoiding the greased fingerprints smeared on the plastic clips.

A mere eight minutes later, they caught a glimpse of the embassy, now just a short distance away. Even though it had been built hundreds of years ago, the physical presence of the structure impressed Toby immensely. Though the turians clearly didn't have a knack for graceful design, the building was beautiful in a functional sort of way. It was industrial in appearance with exposed concrete, I-beams, rebar, and glass windows. The architect wanted to show the buildings true colors and scars while still keeping it modern, a technique used by the human 20th century architect, Louis Kahn. It was the perfect antithesis of the graceful asari architecture also dotting the landscape, but the intent behind the design was the same. Asari architecture was flowing and peaceful, symbolic of the species nature. Conversely, turian architecture sacrificed form for function, a testament to the hardy and industrial nature of the species. The glass windows were an anthracitic shade of gray framed by a black steel skeleton and exposed concrete pillars. The police cruiser dipped into the deep shadow of the building as it approached the intimidating structure.

"Toby, it's the Lieutenant." Brian said, indicating the flashing message on the center console.

"Read it out to me, Brian."

"He wants us to meet up with him at ground level, right about...there." Brian pointed his finger at a group of police vehicles lined behind the embassy's perimeter wall. The cruiser hovered over an available spot and landed as Pira's voice crackled to life.

"Toby, we've got a problem."

"Fill us in, Pira."

"Have you landed yet?"

"Yep, just arrived."

"I…well, you should find out soon enough." With that, Pira signed off.

Heiko cocked his head at his superior's behavior, then powered off their vehicle. The windshield and doors blossomed apart, letting the roar of the city enter the cabin. Red and blue lights danced in the distance as officers cordoned off the area, keeping all civilians a block away.

"Brian, you see the Lieutenant?" Toby looked around and saw another vehicle nearby, the number 20 emblazoned on the side. _Vikar, d__amn it._ Captain Vikar's vehicle was turned off and he could see him in the distance, arguing with Lt. Cugasi.

"I'll bet that's what Pira was talking about," Brian sighed, pulling the belt tight around his pillar like waist. Toby straightened up and approached the quarreling couple. Lt. Cugasi's face was beet red and veins were protruding out of his thick neck as he argued with a clearly fuming Vikar.

"This is personal, _human_, they attacked _our _embassy," Vikar hissed.

"And that's exactly why you can't go in and do this operation yourself! You _are _emotionally compromised, Vikar." Cugasi yelled back.

"I am _not_ letting a human team take hold of this operation." Toby stood back to let the two scream at each other, gathering information for himself. Cugasi threw his hands in the air in exasperation, and then grabbed Toby by the shoulder.

"Sir, do you need my help?" Toby asked, looking pointedly at Vikar.

"All I'm trying to do is to get permission for a human team to go in for clean-up work if things get messy. Goddamn turian pride. Kraven! What's the situation with the snipers? Are they in position?" Cugasi's hairy finger pressed against his ear phone and his head nodded up and down. "Well, that's the first non-bullshit answer I've heard all day, nice work Kraven." Toby peered up at the building. About half-way up, there was a blown out window with black smoke spilling from the breach. He needed answers now.

"Sir, just what in the hell is going on?" Cugasi stopped walking, his burly chest heaving.

"Batarian terrorists have taken control of the embassy. There have been casualties, but we don't know how many, same goes for wounded. We've recently been informed of a hostage situation, and we have a small infiltration team in the garage helping people escape the building. That's the long and short of it." Cugasi paced on the filthy street next to a holographic banner keeping pedestrians out. "Toby, I need you to help me out, right now."

"Anything you want me to do, I will do it." Cugasi nodded and, with the physical presence of a train, stomped over to Vikar who was still grumbling at the command trailer. Brian stood to the side, helping a large cargo vehicle that was landing next to the command post.

"Back for round two, Cugasi?" Vikar uncrossed his arms, waiting for a fight. The cargo vehicle hissed and landed with a heavy metallic clank. The captain waited for the noise to dissipate before he started talking, holding back a tidal wave of thick frustration.

"Captain Vikar, for the last time, I implore you to allow my team to go in. I have more experience with team than you have with yours." Toby stepped back, waiting for Vikar to explode, but he kept his composure.

"This has nothing to do with their level of experience, Cugasi."

Suddenly, an authoritative female voice crackled behind them. "Captain, what's going on here?" Toby turned to see Matriarch Komani approaching, stepping on the cigarette bud she tossed to the ground as she stopped before the frazzled group.

"Ma'am," Vikar began, struggling to keep his voice level, "the Lieutenant suggests that because this is a turian embassy, I am emotionally compromised and therefore I'm unable to lead the strike team."

"I have the negotiator working with the terrorists right now, so keep your damn pants on Vikar; we don't even know if there is going to be an offensive." Komani responded.

"I understand, but we need a team prepared to move in, as a precaution."

"I already have a team ready. Toby, I want you to lead it." Heiko looked at the tall asari in surprise. Vikar's mandibles flared, obviously frustrated and furious.

"Yes ma'am," Toby snapped like a whip.

"With all due respect, ma'am, I would like to know why I'm being tossed aside." Vikar growled. Komani gripped his shoulder.

"Because I smell alcohol on your breath." She gave him a heavy slap on the shoulder and signaled Toby to follow her. Toby cracked a smile, which pushed through his poker face, over the ironic victory that finally came to full circle. On any other day, Toby would be fine being on the strike team, but today he had a bad feeling. Crowds of people were swarming behind the holographic tape, each trying to see what was going on. Sirens were blasting, echoing off the planar walls of the skyscrapers that soared high in the sky. The Widow was heating up the Citadel, its bright rays of light painting the nebula's hot, white webs of dust with golden trim. Throwing Vikar one last glance, Cugasi charged right behind them, his head tucked in his shoulders.

"Toby, I want you to take a team and go over the layout of the building over here." Komani ordered, pointed at a holographic layout of the turian embassy. "I will brief you and your team once you are assembled."

"Got it, ma'am."

Komani walked away and Toby looked back at Vikar who was fuming. _It looks like his drinking problem finally bit him in the ass. _Toby was actually surprised that Vikar was not the one forming the team. His gut told him that Komani had a hand in his illegal actions, getting him free of persecution, but this didn't matter. Not today. What mattered now was forming a team and getting filled in on the situation. With his N7 training and keeping in mind his comfort zone, he wanted a small team, no more than three people. As he pondered on the list of available units, his train of thought was derailed with a heavy hand on his shoulder. Toby looked up into the Lieutenant's chiseled face, noticing a look of approval.

"Toby, don't screw this up. All of humanity is resting on your shoulders. If you do well today, humans will be looked at differently. There are going to be lots of eyes on you."

"Thanks LT, I was just thinking I could use some more stress." Toby joked, chuckling. In response, Cugasi prodded Toby's chest with a meaty finger that was hard as steel.

"I _know_ you will get the job done."

"I will do my best Sir, you can count on that."

"I know your best; you'll go beyond what is expected." Cugasi shook Toby's hand, then snapped his gaze on a group of asari reporters sneaking in through the alleyway. As he stormed off to scream at them, Toby checked his watch again and knew exactly who he was going to take for the operation.

"Brian, find Fomina. I want you and her with me. Get Haan, Bosner, and Una for the second team." Brian nodded and searched for them over the radio. Toby walked around the perimeter, stopping when he found the negotiator's trailer. He approached the trailer and walked inside. All heads turned towards the new arrival. Unsurprisingly, the trailer was staffed almost entirely with the intelligent salarians. The negotiator herself, however, was an asari. The trailer recited a cacophony of electronic hums and a chorus of people played through the radio. The asari negotiator put down her head phones and glared at the Sergeant, obviously frustrated.

"Toby Heiko I presume?"

"Yes ma'am." He extended out his hand and he shook hers.

"Janir T'Maak." Her grip was strong and confident, black tribal tattoos spiraling up her arm and disappearing under the rolled up sleeve of her C-Sec uniform.

"What's going on in there," he asked, looking her in the eyes. She smacked her mouth viciously, getting one last chew of her gum before she spoke.

"The batarian bastards refuse to answer the phone." She put a hand on her forehead, resting it against the small cluttered desk, while the other rattled a packet of nicotine gum against her inner thigh. "I've seen this a thousand times. Zealots take over a building just to have a shoot out with the cops, thinking it is going to be fun and actually change something but no, it just makes things worse."

Toby scanned the desk and noticed there were several pieces of paper with notes scribbled on them. Janir noticed his gaze. "That's all the intel the snipers have given me. They've confirmed at least ten heavily armed batarians decked out in military equipment."

"How did the window get destroyed?"

"They set explosives off, killing several high ranking turians."

Toby closed his eyes in shock; the situation was worse than he thought. _Ten-plus heavily armed batarian terrorists with explosives and military grade equipment? _Toby peered out the trailer's blue tinted window, studying the embassy.

"Is that everything you have?"

Janir nodded. "I'll update you on anything new that comes in. FYI, I think you _are _going to have to go in and take them out. They're not willing to negotiate and they aren't asking for money." Toby stared at her for a moment, then nodded his head, taking off his beret with presicion.

"Sounds good. Keep me appraised even if one of them goes to takes a piss. Has your team linked into the security cameras to the embassy yet?" Janir spun around in her chair, staring at the crew of salarians. None of them said anything.

"There's your answer. These guys are professional Toby… be careful." Heiko stepped down the three grated stairs of the trailer, walking back into the madness of a full scale Special Response operation. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and stuck his beret in his back pocket. He moved along the concrete wall bordering the rock garden dotted with rare turian sculptures made of metal. Location was everything on ops like this, and their position was perfect; the massive perimeter wall provided cover for both a makeshift armory and a briefing area. Snipers were set up behind billboards and inside of apartments across the street from the embassy. The set-up couldn't be more perfect. A small team, his team, was huddled around the cargo vehicle. Everyone looked up at Toby as he approached the side of the vehicle, their eyes swimming with questions.

"Good, everyone's here." Komani, the LT, Vikar, and several others closed in to listen up. Toby filled everyone in on the current situation. There were no questions from his team.

"I want you to suit up. From what you just told us, Heiko, it sounds like you might be going in soon. If the negotiator doesn't get anything else from the batarians in another ten minutes, I'll give the order myself." Komani barked.

Toby turned around, looking over his team. He had the utmost respect for everyone. Haan, a turian from Pavlen, was ex-military. Next to him was Bosner, an older human in his early fifties, was the definition of badass. His face was riddled with scars and seemed he had been in every possible conflict when he served in the Alliance Marines. Una was a former asari commando approaching three hundred years old, same with Fomina.

"You heard the lady, let's suit up. I want close range weapons; that means shotguns, submachine guns, or you can try out the new carbines. One shotgun per team, any questions?" Everyone was quiet and nodded. "Okay then, get suited up."

Number One looked over the Citadel. He shielded his four eyes with a hand, blocking the penetrating light from the Widow. He knew today might be his last day, but he was prepared for death. Number One was not afraid of death's cold hand, although the smell of it made him wince. A female turian was lying on the ground, dying from a bullet wound to the chest. Number One walked over to her and knelt, petting her head. His steady hand stroked the spikes on her skull and the turian's beady eye locked onto his four. She was dying; he could smell it and he had no feelings towards her. She deserved it even though he didn't know who she was or what she did…but she deserved to die. He pulled at her collar, grabbing the ID card, looking at the name then at her gore saturated clothes. A sneer crossed his lips as he stood up, waving a bottle of water in front of her face. He knew she was thirsty, he could see her panting for water, notice her bloated tongue quivering in the dry empty hole. Number One poured the contents on the floor, grinning sadistically. She closed her eyes and groaned in defeat as spheroids of water pattered her face as the fluid splattering off the hard floor.

"One, what are you doing?" Number One turned around and looked at Number Twelve. His eyes shot back to the turian then back to Twelve.

"Having fun."

"The negotiator is on the phone and she is a persistent one." Number One grinned and picked up his assault rifle, which was propped against a desk. His patience was being tested, he had to keep calm and in control. Number One left the small office and entered the atrium on the twentieth floor. Water roared off a fountain in the center of the cavernous room, cooling the air without using an air-conditioning unit. A simplistic piece of turian art dominated the center of the embassy. The obsidian floor kicked up the blue-white lights from the Widow that spilled through the skylights above. Number One could smell fear; the air was thick with it. He looked over his flock of hostages, all fifty-five of them. He was the shepherd and they were his flock. He was in control. He dominated which way their lives went.

He actually recognized several faces from the Vids of powerful politicians. They cowered together in groups, tucking their legs under their chins. He loved the sight of people regarding him with fearful eyes; it made him feel invincible, worthy. The other members of his team blocked off the entrances from the twenty or so stories above the atrium, meaning he technically held several hundred hostages in addition to than the fifty-five here.

"Number One, phone for you." Number Twelve held a phone up, covering the mouth piece with his gloved hand at a reception desk. "We _need _to make our move right now, I just got confirmation they're closer than we thought." One jogged over to the phone and pressed it against his ear, breathing heavily.

"I want nothing, nor can you change my mind about surrendering. Send in everything you've got; I'll make sure they die quickly." Number One held the phone in the air, glaring at Twelve. Twelve grinned and placed a helmet over his head, brandishing a pistol. The hostages all stared at the pistol as Twelve aimed it into the group and pressed the trigger as fast as he could. Number One's ears were ringing from the noise as he impassively watched the massacre. This was part of the plan. He knew the CSSR was going to be breaching very soon. His contractor told him they would come. His contractor said _he _would come.

Back at the makeshift armory, Toby finished strapping into his armor. It was similar to Alliance armor, but made by a special manufacturer that provided the absolute highest quality materials. He held an M-8C Avenger in the pocket of his shoulder; a light carbine version of the M-8 assault rifle with an eight and a half inch barrel. The standard 4x magnification optic was replaced with a holographic CQB sight that he was very familiar with. His chest strained against the ceramic carbon and diamond nano-fiber chest plate as he sprinted through the subterranean parking garage with his two strikes teams, organized in staggered formation, on his six. Dozens of turians were being evacuated, watched over by armed C-Sec guards, their soft soled boots making no noise on the polished cement floor. Brian and Fomina followed closely behind their team leader, trusting him with their lives. Toby didn't believe in failure and he sure as hell wasn't going to fail today. Emergency backup lights cast an eerie red glow in the garage. The building's power had been cut, but the CSSR helmets were equipped with thermal imaging that both brightened the environment around them and made enemy targets stand out like flares. The equipment was sensitive enough to pick up the residual body heat left behind whenever a surface was touched by an unclothed hand. An unfair advantage maybe, but experience had proven that terrorists only respond to strength and intelligence.

"Is that the last of the people from the bottom floors," Toby asked a salarian, shining a flashlight into the building.

"No, still some left." Toby looked at a pair of revolving glass doors where C-Sec officers continued helping people escape. Everything was going as planned.

"Okay, keep up the good work. You're doing a great job." The salarian nodded, holding his chin a bit higher. "S2, how are we doing?" Instantly, Toby got a response from S2's team leader Trevor Bosner.

"We've entered the stairwell and we're waiting for your orders, over." Reality was settling in; this _was _going to happen. Toby could feel his heart rate speeding up and his palms were becoming slick. _Let's do this nice and easy; you've fought terrorists before__. _

"Okay, good." Toby responded. "We're approaching our stairwell, ETA two minutes, out." Toby closed the encrypted radio channel and moved towards the revolving doors. Komani, Cugasi, Vikar, and lots of others were listening in over the channel so he had to keep it cool. This op was a great responsibility; he could feel it weighing him down, like swimming to the bottom of a pool. The heads up display in his helmet read kinetic barriers at one-hundred percent. His heart thumped at a steady 54bpm, steadily rising as adrenaline flooded his system. The garage was cool and dry but that didn't stop nervous sweat from coursing tracks down Toby's forehead. Something was wrong; he never had nervous sweats. _This hasn't happened before..._

"Toby! You okay?" Brian's voice was sincere, laced with worry. Toby could feel his shoulders slouching. He straightened up quickly, hiding his own fear from Brian.

"We need to get moving, fast. S2 is in position." Now wasn't the time to give in to his concern; he'd deal with Brian's question later. He had to keep his team confident and focused on the mission. Losing his cool like this was a stupid mistake; a mistake he would be sure not to repeat.

Toby always analyzed himself during a mission, studying his every move, making a mental list of what he could do better the next time around. He knew he was hard on himself, but what happened eight years ago…that couldn't happen again. Letting people down was number one on his list of things not to do.

"We're right behind you Toby." He peered at Fomina from behind his tinted visor and smiled. "We're getting home in one piece; drinks on me later." Heiko chuckled, resisting the urge to pat her on the shoulder.

"Is that a promise, Fomina?"

"Yeah, actually." She pushed the ceramic lightweight M-8C against her shoulder and hunkered down.

"It's go time." Toby opened up the radio channel and began recording the operation through his head-cam. A holographic map opened on the bottom right of his visor. Even though they studied the blueprints extensively back at HQ, a real-time location marker was going to help immensely. They let a group of nicely dressed turians through the revolving doors before entering the building.

"S2 this is S1, we're inside the complex and approaching the stairwell, over."

"This is S1, roger that, waiting for orders, over." Toby tucked the carbine into his shoulder, bringing it to eye level. His eyes darted, analyzing the room the moment they entered. It was hot and sticky; no moving air or air-conditioning. In fact, the only movement that registered was that of the assisting C-Sec agents, currently helping several elderly and handicapped turians safely exit the building.

"Is that the last of them?" Toby asked an asari holding an elder turian's hand.

"Yes, thank the Maker; we should be out of your way from here on out, good luck you guys." She nodded in support and assisted the last turian through the revolving doors. The red emergency lights were the only illumination for the dark basement of the embassy, but the thermal visors took care of that. The room was insignificant; the walls were metal with linear engravings in them and all the lines ended with a different size circle on the end. Toby really didn't understand the turian thinking. Everything seemed so cold and hard with them. The furniture wasn't even ergonomic, but rather flat and made of metal or stone. Terminals hung on the walls where holographic television sets were once powered by electricity. _I guess they rely on technology, rather than art and design. _Gathering his attention to the mission, Toby's eyes flicked over to the map. The stairs were off to their right, leading up to the fifteenth floor. From there, fifty feet to a second flight of stairs that went to the twentieth floor.

"S2, this is S1, we have reached the stairs and are continuing up, over."

"Roger that S1, we're on the move, over."

"Understood, linking live video feed now, over." Three displays appeared above the map on Heiko's HUD. It was a video feed of S2's head cameras so everyone could see what was going on at all times. The advantage they had with technological aid was almost unfair, the cement of teamwork, and their individual skill was the rebar that formed an impenetrable wall; they were unbeatable. The door was already open, ready for Toby's team to go in. He looked at the video feed and saw S2 entering their stairwell at the opposite end of the building. The plan was for both teams to enter at opposite ends of the building, then attack from flanking angles in a classic pincer maneuver, a move Toby had perfected in N7 and actually taught to the instructors of CSSR, who used primarily turian tactics. His thermal vision picked up on white heat signatures that dotted the edges of the stairs; just emergency lights. The holographic sight remained in front of his face, the encircled aiming dot trained on the landings above, ready for anything. His helmet enhanced the wearer's hearing, but he couldn't make out anything except for his muffled breathing and the blood pumping through his veins.

"Nothing. No threats of any kind; this place is dead." Brian's voice whispered.

Toby nodded in agreement, then adjusted his hand on the pistol grip of his M-8C, scanning the stairwell so HQ could see what was going on. The slow trip up to the fifteenth floor turned out to be uneventful. A luminescent _15_ was painted on the wall, glowing through Toby's visor.

"S2 this is S1, we have reached our destination, over." Toby immediately watched Bosner's feed and saw a fifteen on the wall. _Just like clockwork. _

"Roger that, we are at the fifteenth floor too and waiting for orders, over." Sergeant Heiko turned around to check on his team. Fomina was right behind him covering the door with Brian watching the stairwell.

"Listen up; we don't know what is behind these doors. Expect the worst, which would be a firefight. If these batarians are as good as we make them out to be, they might have a bead on these two doors. HQ, do you read, over."

"Five by five, over." Toby could tell it was the Komani's voice because it sounded male over the radio.

"Are the snipers ready to assist when I need them, over?"

"Affirmative, they already have a bead on the fifteenth floor with thermal imaging. It is clear, over." It was Toby's turn to issue the order.

"S1 to S2, time to make our move." Fomina switched places with Toby, taking a hacking device off her magnetic belt. With the power cut from the entire building, most of the doors were shut. The tech specialist took a red and blue cord out of the small device, placing them in the doors locking terminal. With a few taps on the holographic screen, the door emanated a heavy metallic click.

"Got it." She put the tool back on her belt and returned to her position, tucking the carbine into her shoulder. "Covering," she whispered over the comm channel. Toby let go of his carbine, letting the three-point sling hold it in place. Clasping the emergency handle, he carefully pulled the door open. Light poured into the stagnant stairwell. He pulled a fiber optic camera from his belt, poking it through the door. Another video feed bubbled to life on his HUD. The image was black and white but crystal clear. He saw nothing, so he switched it to thermal imaging. Nothing stirred; nothing was out of place.

"It's clear," he whispered, putting the camera back on his belt. "Brian, open the door. We'll cover you." Brian's large frame clambered in front of Toby and pulled on the heavy door.

"S1! S2! We've a problem!" The negotiators voice pierced Heiko's ear like a blaring siren, startling him. As her voice died, Toby heard a muffled _thump, thump, thump, thump _and his blood ran cold. The sound of a mass accelerated weapon going off was unmistakable.

"Shots fired, shots fired!" _This can't be happening, we had no warning! What are they doing? _

"S1 and S2, get up there as fast as you can. Permission to fire on sight, shoot to kill, out." Toby's BPM meter rose exponentially, hitting over 125 per minute. His heart was racing, drumming in his ears, all but wrenching itself from his body. Yanking the door open, he squeezed into the room. He quickly scanned the room for targets, but saw nothing. It looked like they were in the cafeteria of the building. A panoramic window revealed a stunning sight of the Citadel, with the Widow's rays of light enveloping all the chairs and tables, thrown haphazardly about the room. The terrorists must have hit during lunch; the plates of food were still glowing white with heat. The gunfire stopped above their heads; now was the time to close the distance.

"S1, we're on the opposite end of the room. Watch your fire." Toby spun his head across the hundred meter room, picking up on three heat signatures. His weapon dropped; he was careful to make sure not to sweep the other team with it. Picking up on his rising adrenaline levels and heart-rate, the filters began gathering pure oxygen, clearing his system and focusing his senses. The holo-map updated, highlighting the door entrance with a luminescent red border. Although he already knew where it was, computer assist helped immensely in high-stress ops. Taking a deep breath, Toby let his training kick in. The carbine in his hands trained on the doorway, now no more than eight meters away, the sight gently swaying over the width of the frame. Focusing heavily on the door, he immediately caught the blip of white inside the doorway.

"Contact! Twelve-o-clock!" Toby spun, simultaneously pulling the titanium trigger to his M-8C. The carbine kicked into his shoulder, sending a depleted uranium slug spiraling down-range at six kilometers a second. The threat returned fire, sticking his rifle around the corner, blind firing and praying to get a hit. Fomina and Toby squeezed concentrated three-round bursts through the edge of the pliable wall, striking the target.

"Tango down. Fomina, check the target while I cover the stairwell. Brian, watch our six!" They entered the stairwell and Heiko covered the upper stairwell while Fomina policed batarians weapon and checked the target.

"He's down for the count! Nice shooting." A tongue of hot flame spat down the stairwell, firing down on Toby's position. Rounds broke apart the ground at his feet, chips of metal bouncing off his kinetic barriers and forcing him to take cover.

"Contact on the upper stairwell! I want suppressive fire, now!" Fomina and Brian leaned over, firing their weapons up the stairwell and penetrated the thin metal surfaces. There was no return fire, so they quickly ascended the flight covering all angles. Toby quickly checked on Bosner's feed as fire erupted from across the building. Fortunately, it was just the sound of Bosner's team clearing the stairwell they had to clear.

"Snipers have engaged targets on the twentieth floor."

Toby quickly responded to Komani over the channel, "Understood, keep it up."

"I got another one," Brian yelled over the com channel. All three of them snapped on target, dropping another terrorist on the floor above. All their shots were kill shots; no one was screaming out in pain, they were all dead instantly. White liquid began to dribble through the grated stairs, oozing from the warm corpses. Toby switched off his thermal vision, catching a glimpse of the open door above. Warm sunlight streamed in, making the thermal sights useless.

"S1, this is S2, we're moving into the main atrium. We're going bright in five seconds, over." Toby pulled out a nonlethal grenade packed with powdered magnesium, known as a Flash-Bang. It was used to temporarily blind and stun the enemy with a flash of light and a high-decibel concussion wave.

"Covering!" Fomina yelled over the panicked screams of the hostages in the next room. Toby pulled the pin and tossed the flash bang around the corner. It went off with a lung-bursting _Ker-WHAM__. _A second later, S2's grenade went off and both teams entered to room, sweeping the corners first then moving along the walls. Five disoriented terrorists writhed on the ground, wheezing and gasping for the air the hungry concussive blasts had consumed from their lungs.

"Hands on the ground, hands on the ground!" Ignoring the order, the batarians blindly searched the ground for their weapons, hoping to get a clean shot.

"Take the shots!" Toby yelled before they could recover. Gunfire roared through the room, both teams taking headshots and punching clear through their adversary's helmets. Secondary fire punched through the thick ballistic windows of the embassy as the snipers engaged the remaining batarians. Breathable gas hissed out the window, a consequence of the sniper rounds.

"I have targets on our two-o-clock," Brian called out. Toby's head snapped towards a reception desk, catching a glimpse of a batarian taking cover behind the thick marble of the table.

"Bosner, flank that son of a bitch!" Toby and Fomina aimed their rifles at the slab of marble. "Bosner, targets in the office at your nine!" He pulled the trigger, hitting one of the terrorists in the chest with a burst of three rounds.

"Tango at the desk is down!" Free now, the huddled turian hostages began crawling towards the exits, screaming, crying and clenching their jaws, terrified. Both fire teams triple checked the corners and hiding spaces before converging on the office.

"It's clear over here," Bosner yelled across the room, thumbs up.

"Clear," Brian responded.

"I want the snipers to get a bead on the offices at the south end of the building." Toby ordered. His ears were ringing and his adrenaline was pumping, but right now he was unstoppable. _They_ were unstoppable. Both teams lined up on either side of the doorway, ready to breach the office and take down the last two combatants. Automatic fire thundered from inside the office; hot rounds snapped over Toby's head, punching through the wall like it was paper. Drywall dusted his body as he hit the floor. Bosner tossed another flash bang in the room, timing it so it detonated in midair. S2 entered first, followed immediately by S1. They caught a glimpse of one of the terrorists running in the opposite direction, shooting through the glass cubicles, spitting glittering dust in the air. S2 made short work of the batarian, dropping him with a single round followed by a burst from the sniper team.

"Bosner, take left. We've got the right." Toby yelled, panning his sights around the room. Black smoke began to filter into the office, a sure sign they were nearing the blown-out window he had seen from the ground. A quick glance at his HUD told him that atmosphere was literally nonexistent in this section of the building. The mirage caused by the gas rapidly exiting the building combined with the heat of the fire, distorting everyone's line of sight. His helmet's enhanced vision highlighted a blood trail on the black tile floor; they were getting close. Moving quickly into the next room, Toby caught sight of the last batarian.

"On the ground, now!" He yelled pointing his firearm directly at the batarian's face. The terrorist spun around, clasping his chest with a gloved hand. Blood from a severe chest wound rolled down his body, pooling on the floor. He stood defiantly, grinning with unsettling calmness.

"On the ground, now," Toby ordered, more forcefully than before. The batarian tilted his head, then closed his eyes.

"Not going to happen, Heiko."

With a sudden burst of speed and a surprising lack of hesitation, the batarian sprinted towards the window, gave Toby a final, victorious snarl, then tossed himself out into oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Nashira held Gia's hand as they walked down the dimly lit hallway towards their apartment. Gia had left school early, and they were returning home from her doctors appointment. Nashira loved the feeling of Gia's small hand in hers. It was so delicate and sweet; she didn't want her to let go. She watched Gia's small backpack sway on her curvy back as she skipped alongside her mother. A grin passed over Nashira's lips, admiration for her daughter's energy filling her with joy.

"So, how was school, Gia?"

"I learned how to do linear equations today! Mrs. Hannah explained it to us all, but I was the only one to get it." Nashira looked down at her daughter with pride; Keelah she loved her so much.

"Linear equations, hmm?"

Gia hummed an _uh hu_ and gripped her mother's hand, skipping higher and higher. "Gia, not so fast! You'll fly through the ceiling and take me with you." Nashira teased, giggling.

"Can that actually happen?" Gia asked, eyes glowing with curiosity.

"Of course! Now calm down. I don't think the neighbors will like you jumping everywhere."

"If I go flying through the ceiling, I don't think the neighbors above us would find that too amusing either," Gia said dryly, now only bouncing on her toes. Nashira stifled a chuckled at her daughter's unintentional joke, then continued looking ahead trying hard not to burst out laughing. The window at the end of the hallway displayed an amazing view of the Citadel. Gia tugged at her mom's hand, wanting to look out the window at the marvelous sight. The Presidium was casting a long shadow over the opposite Ward, making that section of the city glow a burning orange. _It's the closest thing we have to night time_, Nashira could remember Toby telling her. Living aboard starships all her life, she wasn't familiar with a traditional day/night cycle and had, in fact, only seen the phenomenon on holovids. She hoped that one day their family can experience it together. The sound of Gia's orange-tinted facemask clapping against the window snapped her out of daydreaming.

"Gia, you're going to break your helmet open if you keep doing that."

"No I won't, Mommy. You told me this faceplate can't break, remember? It's made of special c-cer—ceramic!" Nashira raised an eyebrow, impressed, and brought an arm around her daughter's thin shoulders. Gia wrapped an arm around Nashira's right thigh, hugging it and peering over the ocean of buildings. Gia's arm sent a euphoric sensation shooting up her leg, the sensation only Gia could produce, which carried tingles throughout her body. Looking back at the city, her breath was swept away. It was so beautiful, an idyllic display of a seemingly utopian society, but some of the horrific stories Toby brought home from C-Sec proved that it was just like any other city. Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.

"Come on, bring your things inside and finish your homework _before_ you get back to your spaceship models." Gia nodded her head excitedly, tapping her fingers together and waiting for her mom to open the door to the apartment.

"Can I watch some Vids before I start my homework? I recorded a program on quarian Liveships." The door opened and Gia hung her backpack up, washed the bottom of her feet, then ran to the couch in the "TV room." Nashira grinned, taking the pack off her own back carefully, making sure she didn't crush the thin cardboard box containing Donny's gift with her heavy tools. The worn straps from the five-year old backpack cut into her shoulders, making it a relief when she could finally put it aside for the night. The camel-tan pack slouched to the floor, mimicking Nashira's own feelings, as she wanting to sink into the couch and slouch too. Toby wanted to get her a new one; her current had been repaired so many times that there were seemingly more stitches than fabric. Still, she stood defiantly, her natural stubbornness forcing Toby to acquiesce. He knew he couldn't persuade an ordinary quarian when it came to an object of sentimental value, let alone Nashira, the most stubborn quarian he had ever met.

"Gia, did you say you recorded something about Liveships, like the feeding ships on the Migrant Fleet?"

"Yeah, do you want to watch it with me?" Gia was bouncing on the couch, clutching the remote in both her little hands, training it at the holoscreen.

"Well, I haven't sat down to enjoy myself in a while." Nashira said, smiling wearily and thinking about the pack in the corner.

"Toby would want me to relax," she whispered under her breath, succumbing to jealously as she tossed a weary look at her bag. "Scoot over honey."

Gia stopped bouncing, staring at her mother, silvery eyes tightening into a smile. Nashira couldn't remember the last time she relaxed with Gia, meaning it had been far too long. She sat on the couch as Gia leapt into her lap, nuzzling her head under her mother's chin.

Nashira sighed, thinking about her past. The first months after Gia's birth had been the most difficult of her life. Her husband was killed eight years ago in a conflict with the geth, a synthetic race manufactured by the quarian people centuries ago. After his death, she was alone, with only her unborn child. She was lost, filled with a boiling anger and dismayed by a complete lack of guidance. Her race's general fury and prejudice against the geth didn't help to direct her frustration; it just served as a point of confusion. Nothing made any sense to her; why don't the quarian people leave the geth alone?

Despite her hardship, Nashira took heart; she lost something so close to her, yet gained something even greater in the end. She could remember sitting in her room, crying for hours on end, mourning her husband. She wanted to point fingers at everyone. She wanted to blame the Marines, the quarian people, the geth…everything. But feeling the baby kick inside gave her something to live for. The energy she felt made her heart flutter with excitement. She wanted a child more than she could explain.

Eventually, she had gotten tired of life on the Migrant Fleet. Rumors began to spread about war with the geth. To even contemplate taking such an action was beyond insanity. While she dearly wished they could return to Rannoch, the quarian homeworld, she knew that sending their fleet at the geth would result in the complete eradication of the quarian race. They may have had the largest known fleet in the galaxy, but the geth were more advanced, more resourceful, and their force deployments were completely unknown.

Nashira wanted to grow old and raise this child in a happy environment; the Migrant Fleet was no longer the right place for this. The metal bulkheads seemed to close in on her more each day, constricting her life energy. The hallways of her home ship were not even wide enough to have two people pass each other shoulder to shoulder. On some parts of the ship, one had to duck for over a hundred meters. At night, the ship would moan and crackle, the unsettling sounds of aging metal keeping her awake for hours on end. The Shaan, like many in the Migrant Fleet, was slowly failing due to lack of upkeep. It was a tangled mess of unkempt wires, rusty beams, and cold bulkheads. There was no life or passion on that ship, only misery. This wasn't the environment to raising a child. Nashira wanted to have her child run in open fields with a smile always on its face. When the child was born, she was going to spoil it every chance she had. That day, she decided to leave the dying quarian race to live on her own and find the life she was looking for. What she was looking for, she didn't know, but her gut said it would seek her out.

"I wish I could remember the Migrant Fleet, it sounds amazing!" Gia said, snapping Nashira out of her reverie. "Why did we ever leave?"

Nashira could remember giving birth to her daughter on the Invulpina, a medical ship with sterile rooms and a hospital. Nashira snaked her thin arm around Gia's waist, pulling her close.

"The Migrant Fleet was not a good place to raise you, Gia." Nashira said, bracing herself for the onslaught of questions. _I really don't want to go into this. _Her daughter gently sucked in some air, but she didn't say anything.

"Okay." Gia said, turning on the TV.

Nashira tried to block the rest of the memories out. She bit her lower lip, fighting against the swells buffeting her emotions, but she couldn't hold back. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes as the flood of emotions began to drown her. _The small room I lived in for years...I can remember every detail, down to the scuff marks on the wall. That damn cell was the only privacy I had. Even then, my neighbors could sense my distress and sorrow. _Nashira curled her hands into fists, then pushed herself off the gray couch.

"Gia, go ahead and start it, I will be right back." The lump in her throat rose higher and higher, making it hard to breathe. Frustration crashed down on her. _What is wrong with me? I'm stronger than this. Nashira'Heiko vas Shaan, get a hold of yourself. _

"Mommy?" Gia called from the other room. Nashira shut her eyes, pushing the warm tears down her face. That voice, the way she said Mommy, it lit a flame in her heart. Nashira stood at the door leading to her bedroom, bracing her weak body against the door frame with a hand on her chest.

"Yes, honey?" she responded, keeping her emotions in check.

"Daddy's on TV!"

The artificial sunlight from the Presidium Ring swam into the powerful turian's office. His two hands were tightly clutched together with his elbows digging into the desk. His pulse rose with frustration and tension. Vehicles whined outside his window every now and again, an artificial breeze teasing his plated face. Even though he usually loved the artificial atmospheric sensations, they didn't matter to him right now. What mattered was what was displayed on his holographic computer monitor. He had six live video feeds, separate audio tracks for each. His two beady eyes darted to the door. A red light blazed in the center, verifying it was locked. His foot tapped like a snare drum under his desk, nervous sweats setting amidst the fabric of his expensive coat.

"Contact twelve-o-clock!" Kieran literally jumped out of his chair at the sudden noise of gunfire crackling through his monitor. Blue jets of exhaust spat out from the tips of S1's team leader's carbine. The first terrorist fell in a pool of his own blood in a matter of seconds. _They have to fall, come on, get them! _Batarian after batarian fell to the two squads, who professionally used a pincer maneuver to kill everything in their wake. _Come on, do it clean. Get them. _In a matter of thirty seconds, he could see S2 flick the safety on their carbines. He stared at the screens intensely, his mandibles flaring at the feed from S1's team leader. It was a confusing sight, and the turian thought his eyes were deceiving him.

"Not going to happen, Heiko." The batarian said, just before leaping to his certain death. Kieran was baffled.

"Heiko..." he repeated, anger swelling into his chest. "But, how…why?" He viciously stood from his desk, running his three fingered hands over his head. Containing his emotions, the turian pressed a button on his phone. A monotonous ring chanted twice before his secretary picked up the other line.

"How may I help you Mr. Kieran." The voice on the line was silky smooth and calm.

"Get me down to the site, right now."

"Yes sir, your vehicle is waiting for you at the bay."

Toby held the carbine close to his chest as the power came back on in the building. All threats had been dispatched, and the 20th floor now stunk with the scent of body odor and blood. A security window made out of a thick plastic with the same tensile strength of Kevlar was pulled over the breached window. The fire had been put out and the atmosphere inside was returning to normal, safe levels. Both squads were completely quiet as they policed the terrorist firearms that were strewn about the floor. Toby sat on a bench, cradling his weapon and just thinking. He gently gnawed on his tongue, peering around the destroyed interior of the building. Death was prevalent everywhere. Motionless bodies lying in pools of dark blue blood sprinkled the floor. Powder from the flash bangs dusted the floor like a baker's work station. Toby shut off his live video and audio feed so he could think in peace.

"What in the hell just happened?" His breaths slowed and his heart retreated from his throat. With the adrenaline wearing off, his legs, arms, and hands were trembling.

"Heiko, can you hear me?" He jumped at the voice coming from his helmet.

"Pira, is that you?"

"Yeah, Brian's here too." Toby glanced around the room and saw Brian kneeling by a terrorist. Brian nodded solemnly.

"The channel is encrypted; it's safe to talk freely." Pira's voice seemed to calm Toby's nerves, having the same effect as a mother's voice to a sick or scared child.

"How did he know my name?" Heiko asked, noting that his normally stoic voice was laced with a trembling fury. Pira didn't answer, leaving the radio channel silent, save for the heavy breathing coming from Brian.

"We were hoping you could tell us, Toby," Brian chimed in.

"Pira, how many people were listening in on that operation?" Toby could hear her pecking at her keyboard.

"Oh." He sensed something bad from her reaction.

"What is it Pira?"

"Well I have everyone from the HQ and two other… hang on." Again, the sound of her keyboard clacking swirled around his head. "The two other people who were listening in, I can't get a lock on it. My guess, it was a politician or at least someone with lots of resources; a Council member maybe?"

"Did they hear the terrorist say my name? That's what matters." Toby asked. Silence hung in the air for several moments.

"Yes Toby, they did." Everything swirled together in a nauseating cloud of confusion. His stomach dropped to his knees.

"Do you know what this means?" Brian asked.

"A terrorist who knows my name is a very, very bad thing Brian. If everyone heard that, they're going to think that I was linked to this." A bucket of cold reality splashed in his face. "Toby out." The helmet on his head felt like it was suffocating him; he needed fresh air. Beads of sweat raced down his face. He arrived in the atrium quickly, the cooler air refreshing him and calming his nauseated stomach. He was bewildered; nothing made sense.

"Toby, HQ needs us downstairs for the debriefing." Toby jumped, startled by Bosner yelling across the room. Both teams piled into the elevator and ascended to the main floor. The elevator seemed to snap and pop, as though the weight of the squad's inevitable questions was an extra strain for the lift.

"Good job today." Toby began. Everyone looked into his dark brown eyes, grinning. "That was text book execution. You should be proud of yourselves. All of you." The elevator chirped and the doors opened. Red, gyrating alarm lights emanating from medical vehicles flashed brightly outside. EMT's rushed towards the elevators with stretchers, medical satchels, and black body bags.

"Let's get out of the way guys." Toby directed, leading his team to the side. The Widow's potent light pierced the polarized windows like a hot needle, its rays of light reflecting off the polished stone floor and giving everyone a luminescent white trim around their silhouettes. Everything, from the lighting, to the events that had just transpired, made Toby feel as though he was dreaming. The air was thick, not unlike attempting to breathe liquid, and his legs felt as though they were weighed down with lead. He had to get out of the building, now.

"Toby, you okay man?" His brain blocked out Brian's sincere question. The number one priority was getting out of this damn building. _Put one foot in front of the other. _A thick armored arm wrapped around his waist, keeping him stable.

"I just need fresh air Brian, I'm fine." Off to Toby's right, EMT's covered the splattered batarian with a blue tarp, shielding the media from the gore. The stomach gases released from the smeared batarian almost made Toby lose it.

"Heads up Toby." Eyes closed, he could hear the sound of reporters closing across the lawn. "Vultures eleven-o-clock, ETA twenty seconds," Brian whispered.

"Yeah, I'm on it." Toby stood up straight, putting on his stoic "interview face" and keeping his helmet tucked under his left arm in a heroic and strong pose. He allowed the cool, fresh air to alleviate his mounting stress.

"You looked more confident going against batarian terrorists than you do against these innocent reporters buddy." Heiko grinned, feeling more relived.

"Trust me, reporters are more vicious than any terrorist." He turned away from Brian, meeting the horde of reporters face to face.

Nashira's finger nervously picked at the ridged rings around her masks mouthpiece, enthralled by the television report. Her husband was speaking confidently into the camera, his back straight as an arrow. Sweat glistened off the dark skin on his chiseled face. His almond eyes were locked onto the reporters face as she peppered him with questions.

"In the face of immense danger, what is it that lead to your great success?" The reporter asked, a trace of prejudice in her voice.

"I had the trust of my team. That, along with our top-notch training gave us a supreme advantage." Toby said confidently, holding his head higher after answering that question.

"Why did they let a human lead the operation?"

Toby cleared his throat, "It was a random decision. I was the best candidate at the time."

"My sources tell me that all three humans in your group, including yourself, are former N7 operatives. Why did you choose a path in C-Sec?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't see any relevance in the question." Nashira chuckled at his attempted dodge.

"We simply want to know more about the heroes that saved the turian embassy." Both Nashira and Toby could see where this was heading. She was curious to see how he could weasel out of this one. She bit her lower lip, waiting for an answer.

"We wanted more of a challenge."

"But I thought N7 was the most demanding and elite branch in the human Alliance?"

"It is, but Citadel Security poses more challenges and requires an entirely different method of thinking. Different attack angles, in-depth team strategy. You know, thinking outside of the box."

"Gia, your daddy's good." Nashira said, chuckling

"He looks tired. Do you think he wants to come home right now?" Gia asked, tugging on her mother's blue cloths.

"I bet he does."

The "interrogation" continued.

"Would you say that humans are better than turians in these sorts of situations?" Nashira stopped grinning at this question. Her eyes flickered over Toby's face searching for any emotion. Nothing was revealed on his face. _He acts so differently at home. His face and body movements give away so much and add another dimension to him. He is like a machine here._

"We are both on the same skill level, although turians are physically superior to humans. For example, they can run nearly twice our speed. We both have bright candles, but ours were burning brighter today. The turians can say this about any other operation they have completed successfully. Their performance is universally outstanding, and I have the utmost respect for them." Nashira stood on her toes at this response, surprised. Everything he said was perfectly executed. All the training Nashira and Toby did together, preparing for "interrogations" like this, paid off. She could remember sitting on the edge of their bed and she would ask questions that could be asked during a report. Both of them knew how important Toby's job was, especially when it came to proving humanity's worth. Nashira was Toby's best study partner; they worked off each other so well. On the TV, Nashira saw Lieutenant Cugasi charge up behind Toby and whisper something in his ear. The camera shifted to the Lieutenant, but the only image the camera operator got was one of his large palms.

"This is Laah from TCN, reporting live form the turian embassy." The images switched to footage of the assault from ground level. The camera man holding the camera flinched from the noise of flash bangs then ducked behind the cement wall as loud pops erupted from inside the building and from snipers over head. The cameraman's breath quickened as the firefight grew intense, then he stood up, recording an image of a person tumbling out of a window.

"Gia, close your eyes!" Nashira leapt on the couch, pressing a hand over Gia's small mask.

"What was the coming out of the window?"

"It was um… a bag. They have bag...looking...things that cover up window breaches in sky scrapers like that. It looks like it malfunctioned."

"Was Daddy in that building, Mommy?" Gia turned her head looking into her mother's face. Nashira didn't know what to say. Though she wanted to lie, it simply wasn't right.

"Yes, he was. He took care of the bad men, Gia." The Citadel News kept on replaying the operation from different camera angles. _What in the hell are they doing? Do they not know children are watching this?_ "Come on, let's watch that special on Liveships and see if what they show is actually true. Your mommy actually knows a lot about them."

"Really?" Gia almost yelled, excited. Nashira nodded.

"Did you know I used to be an engineer on one? I worked on the Rayya." Nashira pushed Gia back into the couch, keeping her from rocketing through the ceiling. Her small hands began clapping in excitement.

"Did you ever see the farms in them?"

"Yes, I did. I actually got a shift after I worked on the ship as an engineer."

"What was it like?"

"Well, I got the dangerous job with working outside the ship in the vacuum of space." Gia shook her head.

"I mean the farms inside the ships, what was it like?"

"Why don't we watch this show, they might show us." Gia clasped the remote with both hands, starting the program.

"Mommy… why don't you ever talk about your life on the Migrant Fleet?" Nashira looked into her lap uncomfortably; her hands were tied into tight knots.

"I had a bad experience there." She pointed at the TV, currently showing a panoramic view of the fifty thousand Fleet ships orbiting a blue gas giant. "Look at the sight of that. Isn't it beautiful?" Both listened to the narrator's voice.

"_The Migrant Fleet is the largest fleet in space, inhabited by seventeen million quarians. Here, the mining ships are in low orbit of the gas giant called Shi'toak, mining one of its seventeen moons for minerals and metals."_ The narrator's voice was soothing, a quarian female. Nashira guessed that the film crew had to be quarian to get access into the Migrant Fleet. "Quarian film crew"; Nashira chuckled, thinking about it. _Not on the list of normal occupations. _

"You handled yourself well in the spotlight. Good work, Heiko." The LT said, congratulating him.

"Yeah, until you attacked the poor camera man LT." Cugasi didn't laugh, but grumbled at his attempt at humor. "Vincent, do you know what in the hell happened inside that building?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Heiko." Cugasi put a heavy hand on his shoulder, his eyes thin and lips pressed into a white razor. "That was a _terrorist,_ and he knew your name. That doesn't go over well with the public."

"How did the people at HQ take it?" Cugasi loosened his grip, pushing Heiko on the back, forcing him to walk and eyeballing the firearm in his hands. That didn't go too well with Toby; his own commander didn't trust him.

"Do you not trust me, Vince?" Toby hissed.

"Toby, no one said anything about the terrorist who knew you."

"What?" The already confusing situation just grew even more bewildering. "LT, the hell are you talking about?"

"How else am I supposed to explain it? It was like he said nothing,_ they_ did nothing." Toby ran a hand through his hair, confusion enveloping him. What was going on? He wanted to say something else, but couldn't find words for it. An unmarked black vehicle was landing in the distance, catching his attention.

"You have a date with someone _very_ important, Heiko." Cugasi nodded towards the black vehicles and blitzed towards the convoy, leaving craters in the sand garden from his feet. Toby propped his tired arms on top of his carbine, gathering as much courage as he could muster. This meeting was entirely unexpected, and to say he was anxious was an understatement. Was he in trouble? Was he going to get arrested? Something was going on behind the scenes, and it was definitely above his pay grade. Keeping his head on straight and telling the truth was the best thing he could do at the moment. The sirens cried like wounded banshees, adding to his unease. His fear was normal, but he needed answers.

"Sergeant Heiko, I need for you to turn in your weapons and armor." A short asari was standing near the cargo truck, holding a data pad. He noticed both his fire teams were undressing and stowing away their weapons. Brian shot a worried look towards Toby. It seemed he wasn't the only one needing answers too. All it took was a small hand movement to keep Brian on standby for a little bit longer.

"Is this Sergeant Heiko?" A turian voice, laced with the sound of power and arrogance, cracked behind him. The turian who stood before him was Executor Kieran, the head of Citadel Security. In utter shock, Heiko stumbled over his words.

"Sergeant Toby Heiko, sir." He grabbed Executor Kieran's extended hand, shaking it firmly. To Heiko's surprise, the turian was short, roughly his height, and physically unimposing, droopy shoulders framing a thin body. This was particularly strange; in all his pictures, he looked impressive, powerful and intelligent.

"Yes, I know your name. I wanted to come down here to personally to thank you for the excellent job you did here."

"I was just doing my job, sir."

"Yes, yes, I know. You did your job." Kieran turned around gazing at his wounded embassy. "I should have known they were going to attack here."

"Sir, there was no way to know," Toby interjected. Kieran turned around with a smirk.

"I suppose you're right. Well, I need to have a couple of words with Komani and some others. Great job Heiko, you have my gratitude." Toby bowed slightly and Kieran stormed off like a man on a mission, glaring at Vikar. _Good to know that Vikar is occasionally looked down upon by his own race_, Toby thought.Relieved, he stopped holding his breath, now staring up at the sky. The Presidium tower spiraled above his head, the council chambers at the very apex. It glared down at him, as though it knew where all the pieces of the puzzle went. The Citadel at times felt cognizant, like he was living on a giant who held secrets. Right now, Toby needed these secrets. The Ward arm opposite from them was blocking the Widow, giving the embassy's arm the appearance of night. It was an unsettling feeling, the billions of tons of metal towering above his head.

"Hey Toby, check in your gear. I owe you some drinks," Fomina called out to him, putting her blue shirt back on. As much as he wanted to go home to his family, he needed answers. Members in both fire teams seemed to be holding back something. "Both teams are coming. Do you want to join us?" Toby decided he was going to go with the flow and put on an act.

"Sounds great Fomina. Is Bosner coming?" he asked energetically, taking the carbine off his shoulder and walking towards the cargo truck. Brian stood erect, confused with his friend's sudden change in personality, clipping his own shotgun in the armory of the truck.

"Yeah, I think he's waiting for us in the negotiator's trailer for the debriefing. We'll go there first."

"Yes, of course. I'll meet you there after I get this damn armor off. I'm baking in here." Fomina grinned, turning away from him while he stripped down. Sweat dribbled out of the gray armored carapace that protected his chest. The armor was light, but highly effective against mass accelerated weapons. All they needed to do to perfect it was to add some sort of nano-technology, like a gel to regulate temperature. The Widow was just starting to peek around the Ward arm and, instantly, it felt like daytime. The first year or so living on the Citadel, Toby discovered it was difficult to get used to the weird hours and shifting day/night cycle. Usually, he acclimated quickly to alien conditions, but this was different.

On the neck of his armor, he saw **HM1** printed in yellow lettering, signifying he had the first set of armor in the trunk. The same yellow lettering was printed on the metal hull above hangers that holds the armor. His blue fatigues were neatly piled up beneath the HM1 waiting for him to put them on. _I didn't fold my clothes though. _Suspicion slowly seeped into his brain. _I can't question everything. Keep your head straight, you'll get answers at the debriefing. _He defensively looked around, trying to catch anything abnormal. Nothing was out of place; it was no different than any of his previous ops done with CSSR. Still, his senses were usually dead on when it came to things like this. With the dream he had, the violent confrontation with Vikar this morning and the terrorist saying his name, it couldn't all be superstition or coincidence.

"Sergeant Toby Heiko, checking in all weapons and equipment." The short, power hungry asari pushed her data pad into his chest.

"I need your signature, time, and date right here, Sergeant Heiko." Toby eyed the short asari signing everything she told him to.

"Did you touch my clothes by chance?" Her eyebrow rose, looking up at him.

"Uh, no. Why?"

"Did anyone go near the cargo van when I was inside the embassy?"

"I lock it after the gear and weapons are distributed. Why are you asking this, Sergeant?"

"It's nothing." Toby handed her the data pad, walking towards the debriefing trailer. _I must be losing my mind. _

Skave kept his shoulders high, protecting his neck while walking through the Wards. His stomach moaned again, hunger barbarically clawing at him. _Food is my main objective. Food is my mission. _Vibrant lights flashed like strobes down the street of the sleazy Wards section. Aliens were shoulder to shoulder, noxious fumes from their breath and body beating down on Skave like a relentless, suffocating soup. Overflowing dumpsters lined the alleyways, homeless turians wearing urine and vomit stained clothing excavating through the waste, searching for something to eat. The sickly sweet smell of a thriving city poured into his nose. Stagnant pools of black oily water, garbage that had been baking in the sun for too long, dirty city folk and hot food swirled together, creating the unique smell only found in overpopulated cities. People swam through the populated streets like schools of mindless minnows, their eyes fogged over with cataracts, skin wrinkled and dying, spotted with filth and disease. It was a nauseating flotilla of people that Skave had to navigate through. He wanted to kill every one of them: beat their heads in with a blunt object, slash their throats open, drown them in these filthy puddles of water that settled in indentations on the street, which were festering with of webs of bacteria and mold. He was superior to these sub races in every sort of way: intellectually, physically, in stamina and in class. All of these people, slaves to the sins they abuse and repeat. Drugs, sex, false realities, open ended paths of life leading to nowhere except a dishonorable death. They all will die in their stained, heavy mattresses or under paper which once held raw meat, finding it and using it like a blanket, their faces buried in the cities film of excrement that lined the streets having lived their life without purpose. They just existed.

Half-naked women and men danced in the windows, drawing crowds of lust-starved people to gander at the pathetic sight. Homosexuals and straights feasted their eyes, paying no attention to Skave as his vivid imagination went on a detailed fantasy of making each and every one of them suffer in some horrible and barbaric way. Neon lights splashed the faces of everyone, giving them a uniformly hopeless look. The city was a revolting place, people living in conditions no living being should have to live in, yet all these people deserved it. Every second of suffering, living off nothing, not even dreams, these people deserved it. One day Skave was going to purge these people of their deplorable lives.

Putting aside his rage and disgust, Skave's mind went back to the mission at hand: finding food. He wanted to feast on a slab of meat. A sign flashed off in the distance, advertising the delicacy of steak, exactly what he was looking for. The restaurant was dirty, and tried too hard to stand out from the rest. He took a seat with his back against the wall, watching the bathrooms, exits, and entrances. The cheap metal silverware was dotted with hard water residue, his cup stained with lipstick around the rim, most likely from a human or asari whore, and the white table cloths were yellow with old age and repeated washing. He ordered his dextro-steak rare.

The only thing comforting him was the pistol tucked under his shoulder, hidden by his bleached and creased leather jacket. The asari waitress set his plate down in front of him. She said something to him, trying to be polite, but the krogans at the bar were drunk and loud, dampening her sweet, soft voice. He nodded his head and stared at the piece of meat. It was seared brown on the outside, with the center cold and raw. The serrated knife carved at the steak, cutting through the fat and gristle marbled in the meat. His sharp teeth shaved the flesh, red juice rolling down his chin. Like an animal, he stabbed at his pray again and again feasting, trying to cure this endless hunger that dwelling inside him. Threads of fat and muscle jammed between his teeth as he relentlessly attacked it. The semi-cooked fat dribbled down his chin, glistening in the sick yellow light of the small restaurant. An oily sheen coiled on top of the quagmire of cooked blood. Fat lubricated his throat making it easier to eat this sumptuous amount of flesh. He was soon done gorging on food, his crusade complete, but he craved something else. Skave smacked ten credits on the table and stood up, dispensing a guttural burp not bothering to wave away the smell, as it was more pleasant than the stagnant air which swirled around him.

"Tip the waitress, turian." Skave turned around glaring at the krogan hand on his shoulder. He cast a gaze looking into the predator style eyes of the krogan.

"I don't tip."

"Oh you don't now, _turian._" The asari waitress walked over grabbing the krogan's arms.

"You're drunk, Brahn, get off him!"

"You best listen to your waitress, Brahn," Skave hissed through a sneer.

"Or what?" Skave pulled back his jacket showing the two kroagns his pistol. They both bellowed, laughing at the object, which was a diversion.

"It takes a lot more than a pistol to brush us off!" Skave pulled a knife from the back of his pants, slicing at the krogan's hip. The blade found its way home, cutting between the bone and cartilage like cleaning a chicken. The krogan collapsed in a pile of orange gore, screaming.

"Don't make the same mistake your friend here made." Skave sheathed his weapon, pushing his way through the crowd of curious onlookers. The previously unknown hunger was now fulfilled; he simply wanted to kill.

Skave walked down the hallway towards his hotel room. The walls were bending inwards, creating something of a fun house effect. Ugly wallpaper was yellowing and peeling at the edges with mismatched red carpet so saturated with filth, one could scrape it and get fingernails worth of grime. Dried urine, fecal matter, oily water, chewed gum tracked in by shoes filled the space between the carpets fabric. Skave swiped his card through a holographic sensor and his door clicked open. He pushed it open with an elbow avoiding the blackened door knob. The lights sensed his motion, flipping on. Lights as sterile and stark as the ones in a hospital burned over head, humming their unwanted drones. A duffel was lying on the coffee table, spotted with dark red dots. The feeling of victory and success overwhelmed him as he stared at the rifle tucked away beneath the black fabric. He closed his eyes; the crosshair was still burned into his vision. It was so clear he could make out the elevation and distance to the target. Now was time for the next step in his mission, calling in the kills.

Skave sat down in the plastic chair, powering on his omni-tool and fingering the number less than a hundred people had. The phone began to ring. Each buzz lasted for what seemed minutes, his anticipation making the blood around his head swirl.

"Number." Skave jumped at the voice of one of the most powerful men in the galaxy.

"Number seventy-eight. Operation Blue-Five-Eight-One is completed. All targets eliminated." He waited, wanting to hear the voice again. His arm was trembling, hardly able to keep it under control. The power he had at the moment was glorious. He listened intently, trying to soak up every detail. Across the line, he could hear several chirps of the One tapping a data pad.

"Ah yes, Mr. Stago." Skave smiled, his eyes glazed over in a temporary delirious state. The voice was beautiful. "I want the whole report soon, Skave, down to the every detail." _He said my name. Yes, he said my name! _

"Yes sir, I will get right to work."

"Understood. We're on the right path." The line disconnected, leaving Skave alone in his room. His heart was palpitating fiercely from excitement; he had to calm down. He stared out the window towards the Presidium tower off in the distance. It stood sentinel, like a guardian of some kind. Blue jets of light streaked up and down the spire, his black eyes watching the elevators travel. The One was in there somewhere, waiting for his report. That was priority number one. Skave stood up, photographing all his graphs, information, and photos of Mr. Stago before burning them over the stove. He quickly made his report, sending it to the One over an encrypted channel. The stress was instantly released when he pushed the green send button on his onni-tool. All Skave needed now was a scolding hot shower and sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sitting at the head of an uncomfortable aluminum table bolted at the center of the briefing trailer, Toby watched impassively as the mission tape re-played on the holographic screen that dominated the opposite wall. Staccato gunfire erupted and the video briefly burst into static as the assault began. Glancing around at the assembled team, he noted that most were watching with faint self-congratulation of a job well done; business as usual. As the gunfire stopped, Toby straightened up, focusing; the time was close. Eyes locked on the display, his heart rate jumped as the video jumped to the suicidal batarian. The terrorist's head smoothly turned to look at Heiko, then he made an about face and leapt out the window. It was as Toby remembered, except for the audio; the batarian didn't say anything. Hoping he simply hadn't caught it over the dull speakers, his pulse quickened as the helmet-cam went dark when he quickly stopped recording.

The lights went up in the trailer as Komani stood, brushing off her shoulder nonchalantly.

"That's that, folks," she said, smiling, "Great work."

_Wait...no, this is wrong_, Toby thought as the team squirmed in their hard chairs, readying for Konami to ask a few questions. He stared at the blank display, baffled. Noting his dumbfounded expression, Komani gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"Heiko, is there anything any you would like to add? Equipment malfunctions, opinions on the batarian's firearms…anything?"

Toby opened his mouth to answer, but was beaten to the punch.

"Uh, ma'am?" Lieutenant Cugasi asked, standing up.

"Yes Cugasi, something to add?"

"I believe that tape is inaccurate. That wasn't what I heard or saw." Cugasi stated bluntly, as Vikar, Brian and Toby snapped their attention to the LT.

"Enlighten us, LT." Vikar asked, crossing his arms. Toby nervously shot a glance towards Cugasi.

"It's just that...never mind. I…I thought I heard that last terrorist say something. Must have been my imagination."

"Imagining things, really? Is the _human_ getting too old for the job, then?" Vikar tested, malice in his eyes. The LT scoffed, clearly agitated and about ready to explode on Vikar. Paying no attention, the turian continued.

"I think this _human _is physically compromised."

Fomina sat lower in her chair, putting a hand over her forehead, while Brian leaned in closer, grinning.

"This has nothing to do with getting even, Vikar!" The turian leaned over the table, inches away from Vikar's face.

"It absolutely does. I've already won, and you don't even know it yet."

"Was that a threat?" Cugasi whispered harshly.

"Yeah…yeah it was."

Cugasi had had enough. Lunging across the table, he grabbed Vikar by his throat and began punching the turian with enough force to fell an average human. In a blur of motion, Toby and the rest of the team forcibly pulled the enraged Lieutenant off Vikar, but not before he had dealt multiple severe blows.

"I _will_kill you Cugasi, I swear to God. You are dead!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Hieko yelled, straining to keep Cugasi's arm from unleashing another assault. The LT was tense, power born of fury coursing through him; restraining him took the strength of four. The skin on his flat fist was peeled like an orange, the remains dangling off of Vikar's boney face. The turian grinned from across the table, wiping his lip of blood. The smile was nothing short of terrifying, unlike anything Toby had seen. It was vindictive and animalistic...hell, it was borderline primal.

"Vikar, exit the trailer this instant." Komani ordered, fury distorting her masculine features. The turian laughed, kicked open the hatch, and walked into the "night" air. The sound of the city rushed in momentarily, only to be muffled once more as the hatch resealed.

"We will go over the rest of this tomorrow morning when everyone has regained their composure, is that clear?"

Everyone nodded and stood up from the table, letting go of Cugasi. Komani positioned herself authoritatively in front of the LT.

"Now then, are you two going to kill each other or am I going to have to lock both of you up for the night?" Komani asked, the contempt and disappointment unsuccessfully hidden.

"No, ma'am, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking deep into his eyes, the smell of cigarettes wafting off her breath. Cugasi nodded, then barged out of the trailer, leaving the negotiator and the salarian the team speechless.

"You all still up for drinks after that?" Fomina asked, wide eyed.

"Hell yeah." Brian grumbled, scratching his head.

Toby was uneasy; he had thought he was going to get answers in the debriefing, but all he got was more questions. It seemed like Brian, Pira, Cugasi, and himself were the only ones to hear the terrorist mention Toby by name. He knew he wasn't losing his mind, so what was going on?

The Interstellar Shot Glass was C-Sec's favorite bar, and was known around CSSR as the "waste bucket." It was nicely kept by a krogan owner, which surprised everyone at C-Sec, Toby included. The interior was fairly large and the appearance was welcoming, with most of the bar displaying a primarily cobalt-blue color scheme. The ceiling rose a full two stories, permitting plenty of light through the massive, blue-tinted glass that dominated one side of the main room. There were many theories about why the krogan owner, Brahn, chose such an unusual color scheme, though none had been confirmed. Holographic hieroglyphs slithered through the glass floor and swam over the walls, glowing behind the many intertwined planes of glass, each the size of an average car. The cut edges of these panes of glass were glowing light blue, like lasers firing up from the ground. Trance music pulsed through the room, vibrating the ornate cups resting on the frosted glass bar top, sifting through the visible color spectrum.

"Look who made it, boys," Fomina yelled over the music, putting an arm around Toby's shoulders and pulling him towards the bar.

"Hey Stitch, where's Brahn?" Toby asked, staring at the short volus mixing the drinks with his stubby and clumsy looking hands.

"Ah yes, 'where is Brahn.' I have been getting that a lot today. Yet, nobody asks for me. I mean try to understand; I know I am not as charismatic as this 'Brahn' person. You know, huh? I mean all these Earth clan coming in here asking questions thinking they own the damn Citadel, I am tired of it."

Everyone had blank expressions on their faces then exploded, laughing at Stitch's completely random rant that successfully hit home.

"Oh, you liked that, did you?" Stitch continued, "Well, I try my best to amuse my customers while Brahn is away on business. I think he's seeing someone down in 'The Stink'. Although it could be business, but I have seen this asari come in quite often and they both seem to talk quite a bit."

"Where do you get this information from Stitch, huh?" Fomina asked, her voice already starting to slur.

"Well, the smallest of people are always ignored. I can just wander around and no one notices me. I heard there is a Spectre on the Citadel, you know." He said, throwing his stubby arms in the air.

"Right, Stitch, like I believe that," Brian chimed in, sipping a fluorescent beer.

"Suit yourselves, Earth clan. So Toby, my funny looking friend, what can I get you to drink."

"Stitch, haven't I explained why I look different than most? It's my Asian ancestry."

"Indeed. You know, I saw one your Earth clan come in here the other day and he was black, like the color of my boots!" Everyone leaned over the counter, observing his dark boots.

"I bet those things are holding some sort of hoof or something." Bosner quipped, downing coffee colored liquor.

"Bah, hoof my ass!" Everyone busted out laughing and Stitch waved them off breathing heavily, obviously flustered.

"He wants a foot up his ass. I think." Fomina snickered.

"You know what, just give me a water, Stitch. I'm dying of thirst," Toby requested. The volus picked up a flexible hose off the counter, spraying water into a short glass with an illuminated yellow base. Toby glanced at Fomina and the rest of his team, noting they were nearly drunk already. Fomina was further along, so he decided to talk t her first. Toby grabbed his cup from Fomina who slid it to him, twisting the glass opposite of where Stitch's fingers touched the rim.

"Fomina, can I talk to you for a moment?" Toby requested, grabbing her arm gingerly.

"Yeah, sure."

Toby pulled her over to the window overlooking the city.

"So, about today."

"That was one hell of a day if you ask me, Toby."

"Yeah, hell of a day alright." He agreed. "The debriefing, now that was crazy, wouldn't you say," he asked, keeping his voice cool and his words short.

"Well, I knew the Lieutenant was going to hit Vikar eventually. Can't say I blame him."

Toby frowned. Hearing Fomina speaking about Vikar like that was odd; no one said anything like that for the fear of a listening device or someone in earshot catching wind of it. Then again, she had been known to say some surprising things while intoxicated. On one such occasion, she went so far as to insult Toby's daughter, though she spent the next ten minutes apologizing until Toby forgave her. Still, this slip of the tongue seemed harmless enough.

"Was anything missing from the debriefing, any information that you knew happened which we didn't see or hear on the video feed?" Toby asked.

Fomina raised an eyebrow, her green eyes scanning Toby's dark ones.

"Um, no, I don't think so Toby." she said, concerned, "But, Vikar threatening Cugasi's life was surprising. I know the two have bad blood but well… you know. Cugasi better be careful. I would, if I were him."

"Yeah," Toby said absentmindedly, paying Fomina little attention.

"Well, unless there's something else, I'm going back to the bar." Fomina said, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Sure, go ahead." Toby said, smiling. "You know what, tell the boys I'm heading home. I'm not up for drinks tonight."

Fomina smiled back. "You got it, Heiko. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

Fomina waved flirtatiously as she walked back to the bar. Toby shook his head, grinning at his friend's drunken behavior. She always was a softy, but when on the firing range, she is sharp as a needle. Toby checked the time on his watch and his heart skipped a beat seeing how late it actually was. It had certainly been a long day, one that he wanted to have time to think about. Right now, however, all he wanted to do was spend time with his family. Drinking after a mission was never his thing anyway; it felt disrespectful and immature. Though they were terrorists and murderers, it didn't change the fact that they died by Toby's hand. The thought of drinking to what was, at its core, an act of justified murder made him sick. Besides, the night club had a strange atmosphere tonight. The music picked up pace to a rave theme as soon as a headache crashed down upon him. The back of his eyes felt like they were trying to be pushed out of his skull with a hot piece of metal. Adding to his discomfort, he had a feeling one of his best friends was lying to him and that left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Hey Toby, are you okay?" Toby looked over to Brian who approached him, his slopy grin disappearing when he saw the sudden shift in Toby's appearance. "You look a little light-headed. Need me to walk you home?"

"No Brian, I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"Bullshit. I know you better than almost anyone, and this is not the Toby I know."

"It must have been something I ate. I felt crappy earlier this morning." Toby said, putting a hand on his clammy head. The light being emitted from the wall panels felt as bright as a sun. His stomach churned and flipped and his world began to spin. The crowds of C-Sec personnel all talking at once turned into a horrifying static, threatening to rupture his skull. Toby used all of his concentration to keep conscious, grabbing Brian by the shoulder.

"Okay buddy, I don't care what you say, but I _am_ walking you home." Brian said forcefully.

"Brian, keep me up if I pass out, okay?" Toby groaned through the concentrated noise. "Get me out of here."

In his barely conscious state, Toby was half-walked, half-dragged through the busy streets of the Wards. The pain stabbed his consciousness, like his head was going to implode. Each blood cell seemed to scrape against his veins and arteries like they were hordes of sea urchins on a great crusade through his body. Spinning neon lights tried to encroach through his shut eye lids, their dull hot haze slipping through the thin skin in an attempt to shield him from their searing touch. If it wasn't for the meticulously cleaned air of this section of the Wards, Toby would have defiantly succumbed to his phobia of vomit. Abruptly, the sound of voices changed: muffled, as though they had entered a room full of acoustic tile. A cool, dry female voice sounded over an electronic intercom, echoing off the hard walls, barely audible as she mentioned something about departure times. _The subway! Thank God, almost home__. _

A short time later, Toby finally opened his eyes. Everything had a white aura illuminating their silhouettes and the massive white tiled ceiling of the subway reflected all the searing light into millions of concentrated pin dots. The wafting smells from assorted food vendors buffeted his senses and his feet stuck against the adhesive film of the floor, sticky from spilled drinks and residue from the thousands of shoes that passed through here every day. This wasn't the place he wanted to be, but he was feeling better than at the bar.

"Brian, you can let go of me now. I think I can walk."

"You sure, buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Brian's powerful arms loosened their grip and, like a horse that was just born, Toby tried to stabilize his legs.

"What in the hell happened, Toby?" Brian asked, scrutinizing his friend.

"I think Oma used old meat in her soup." Toby quipped, chuckling. Brian's face looked relieved.

"Well, guess we'll just have to beat her ass then." Brian joked, putting an arm around Toby's shoulders and pushing him towards the lined up crowd waiting for the train to open its doors.

"You're sick, Brian." His big friend erupted with his usual bubbly laugh as he guided Toby onto the train. For the first time today, Toby felt safe. The two CSSR operatives sat next to each other in silence. Toby stared at the windows, watching the reports about the attack from earlier today. The volume was low, but Toby could hear the news reporter rambling about stun grenades going off and enormous amounts of gunfire. Then he saw it: the batarian terrorist leapt out the window, the moment of silence shortly punctuated by the stomach churning wet slap of a body hitting asphalt. Toby looked away from the Vid, closing his eyes, but he heard his voice right after the batarian plummeted to his death. The interview that he had earlier with the "vulture" was replaying on TCN. Several people on the train stared at Toby, recognizing him from the Vids. All he did was fire off a small smile and went back to watching his interview.

"You know Toby, you held up well. Those were some tough questions."

Laughing, Toby whispered, "Well, Nashira and I have been practicing for 'interrogations' like these. Brian, I think I can make my way home from here." Brian's put a heavy paw on his shoulder.

"For such a smart person, you're unbelievably thick when it comes to your health. You're not getting rid of me yet. You better tell Nashira that you will be having a guest for dinner tonight."

Too tired to argue against his best friend, Toby grinned, shaking his head.

"You know, Nashira is a good cook for someone who can't taste human food." Brian said, smiling.

"Thanks."

"She was taught by the best, Toby."

"Thanks again."

The rest of the ride home was quiet, both Toby and Brian watching the news reports along with getting entertaining stares from half the people in the fifty foot long section of their train. The crowd from people walking home was at its thickest. Aliens and humans shoulder to shoulder, all fighting to get home in a frenzied free-for-all. The streets below Toby's apartment were packed, with the main population consisting of humans. It was dangerous for a human to wander into nonhuman parts of the Wards, because most aliens looked down on humans like a minority race. Most acted tough around them, but every alien was scared of humans. They were not used to their head first way of charging into situations. Humans were, by nature, ambitious and power hungry not content with simply waiting to grow above their perceived lower class.

"Hey, Toby, you finally got some color back in your face." Toby could feel it. The blood around his head wasn't hurting him anymore, and his quaky legs were finally stable enough to permit normal movement.

"Brian, don't mention what happened today to Nashira or Gia. I don't want them freaking out. Is that clear?"

"Roger that. Wait, do you mean the operation or your freak out episode?"

"Both." Brian rubbed the stubble on his chin, nodding in agreement.

"I can keep a secret, Toby."

Toby's apartment rose thousands of feet up into the sky. The facing side of the building was comprised almost entirely of dark metal, the numerous windows bearing an amusing resemblance to a piece of graph paper. Half the windows glowed with honey-colored radiance, making the building feel like a true home. Two doors hissed open, leading into the main atrium. Sandy tile with black marbling lined the wall and pillars. Polished mahogany wood covered the ceiling, matching the ergonomic and radically designed rust-colored leather furniture. Japanese oaks were put in front of the massive three story windows. The oaks dark red leaves matched the furniture in the building, making this particular apartment feel a little more like Earth. Smiling once again, Toby felt the familiar calming sensation he got whenever he returned here. He could smell the wet dirt that the oaks buried their roots in, drinking the water that percolated through the grains of rich, black soil.

"Mr. Heiko, my dear, I saw you on the Vid's today." Heiko turned towards the receptionist desk and saw Mrs. Brown's white bushy hair hiding behind the counter. Her thick glasses and old creased face emerged from her station, staring at Toby and wearing a necklace that seemed like it would tip her over.

"Yes, Mrs. Brown, that was me."

"Well, are you okay my dear?"

"Yes I am, Mrs. Brown."

"Well, get your tush upstairs to your family and tell Nashira and little Gia I said hello," she cooed, waving her flabby arm.

"Yes ma'am, I will definitely do that." The old woman smiled and sat back down on her chair, disappearing from sight. "And tell Brian to behave himself." Brian and Toby both snickered entering the elevator.

"She has a good memory, Toby."

"She's actually a literal genius. Four PhD's. Can you believe that?" Brian's eyes went wide. "Yeah, that was exactly my reaction." Toby said, snickering.

Their elevator door slid open and the duo walked down the well lit hallway towards the panoramic window at the end, their footsteps muffled by the carpet. Toby turned to unlock the door to his apartment, but paused, looking at Brian.

"How do I look? I mean, will Nashira notice anything odd?" Brian looked into his friend's face, scanning his person and clothing, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Yep, you're missing the smile." Toby grinned, opening his door quietly.

"Daddy!" An orange flash sprinted towards the door from inside his apartment: the one thing that held the most meaning in his life: Gia.

"GiGi, how are you?" Toby bent his knees, holding his arms open. Gia's body slammed into his, hugging her father tightly. He melted into her small frame, burying his face in her hood. Her small hands tried wrapping themselves around his large shoulders, but got only to his shoulder blades. He could feel her three fingers tugging at his shirt, trying to hold him tighter. God he loved her so much.

"Can I see your gun, Daddy?" Toby pulled her away when he felt her curious hand touch his weapon.

"What did I tell you, GiGi?" She squinted at him, her eyes turning into silver razors, staring at the weapon. She teetered on her two toes, playing with her hands.

"I don't remember." She whispered. He knew she was grinning behind her mask. Thinking of this image, he couldn't help himself but smile back. He unclipped the strap holding his handgun in its Kevlar pouch pulling his pistol out.

"Do you want to touch it?" Gia's hand slowly reached out, poking its rubber grip. She giggled, pulling her hand away from it.

"Thanks Daddy."

"Give Daddy some sugar, Gia." The seven year old quarian hugged him again, making a delicate kissing noise next to his ear. Toby grabbed her two small hands.

"Thank you, now say hello to Uncle Brian." Gia's head quickly looked over to Brian and she laughed.

"Gia, give me some right here!" Brian said kneeling, open palm extended. "Remember what I taught you?" Gia nodded, curled her hands into two small fists, and punched Brian's open hand.

"Ow, that hurt Gia!" Brian fell over, writhing on the ground holding his hand, trying to hold back a smile. She looked at her fists, astonished, and punched him in the leg. Both Brian and Toby burst out laughing.

"No Gia! I give up, stop!" Toby felt an arm snake around his waist and the unmistakable scent of strawberries filled his nose as a chin leaned on his shoulder.

"Hey Nash," Toby whispered, looking into the dull light of her eyes with his hands slipping into hers. Nashira's finger traced the contour of his lip. "Brian is having dinner with us, if that's okay with you."

Nashira looked at Brian who had Gia on top of him playing with her.

"Yes, it is perfectly fine with me."

"What's cooking, Nashira? It smells amazing," Brian asked, getting off the floor and carrying Gia on his shoulders like a lamb.

"Sautéed fish over a bed of micro greens," she responded confidently. Brian raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Just because I am a quarian, that doesn't mean I can't cook," she fired back, noticing his body movement.

"I didn't say anything!"

Nashira laughed, "You always were easy to scare, Brian."

"Well when you are holding a metal spatula, yeah I am afraid of you!"

"Uncle Brian, can I ride the spaceship?" Gia asked from over his shoulder. Brian slung her into his arms, and walked into the living room of the apartment and making juvenile engine noises, leaving Nashira and Toby alone in the small foyer. Once out of earshot, Nashira spoke, putting her hands on Toby's face.

"Are you okay? I saw you on the Vids and I was worried all day!" Toby kept his smile going, trying not to worry her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit shook up, that's all."

"Toby, don't lie to me. I've seen you after missions...what's wrong?"

Sighing, Toby resigned himself to telling the truth.

"I had another fit today. Well, I don't know if it was a fit or just food poisoning. We ate at that little Japanese soup shack near the Markets today."

"You know how many times I told you not to eat at those 'hole in the wall' places, right?" Nashira whispered, aggravated.

Toby grinned, grabbing her hand.

"I know, but you know I'm writing that book about the best places to eat on the Citadel. I was double checking it to make sure it was good enough to be in there." He assured, only half-joking. After a moment of silence, Nashira's tense body relaxed.

"Is that all you want to talk about sweetie?" Nashira asked, cooing.

Toby's muscles flexed nervously, looking around the apartment.

"We can talk later. When is dinner going to be done?"

Vikar sat in his vehicle, clasping onto a bottle of turian alcohol. The dark alleyway concealed him from the crowded streets of the Wards. He was bitter-no, he was enraged. He took another swig from the bottle, enjoying the burn of the liquid slithering down his throat. The drugs he took were kicking in. He looked at the pill bottle sitting on the seat next to him, grinning. The mild sedative was keeping him from going out and killing the arrogant Cugasi. He knew that there would be a more appropriate time for that, just not _right_ now.

Twitching his upper forehead plates, Vikar cringed. Simple face movements, even as minor as blinking, hurt like hell. He closed his eyes, picturing Cugasi's fist connecting with his face. It angered him, but the anger was merely adding fuel to the set time bomb. He liked it: the tight feeling in his chest, the short breaths he was taking, how all he wanted to do was hurt him, pull the skin off his face like melted cheese. The anger was good, and he couldn't wait to release it.

Hordes of humans moved in on the street he was scanning. Orange lights bounced into the hallway from a bar across the street. The smell of fried human food made him wretch. He was afraid the scent was going to embed itself into his seats, making him suffer in this hot cabin. A green dot appeared on his holographic map. His patience was paying off and soon he could take out some of his anger on something that didn't matter in the scheme of things.

His vision was becoming cloudy, disrupted from the drugs and alcohol surging through his system. The sedative, while useful, had a destructive side effect. His heart rate increased, his muscles contracted, and his anger was replaced with something comparable to a void; an endless hunger. The target he was tracking was on the move. He attempted to type in the address with shaking fingers, but failed. Growling in frustration, he commanded the vehicle to follow the target. The lights came on, illuminating the alleyway with cool white light and he was soon off to the target's apartment. The city lights made one hell of a show, each light blazing a trail behind it as Vikar flew through the city.

His vehicle stopped at a human apartment complex and he hopped out, trying to keep his balance as he moved towards his destination. His brain was starting to hallucinate, skewing every image into something incredible or terrifying. Tachycardia had nearly set in by the time he arrived at the apartment, the metal engraving displaying the proper address. _601. _Vikar unlocked the door with his universal key, entering the apartment. The lights were on, and an overpoweringly feminine smell assaulted him. Cringing, he closed the door and walked around the unfamiliar studio apartment. Photographs were hanging up on the wall, remarkably beautiful even to his eyes. All of the photos were stunning, uncommon locations on the Citadel. Turning off the lights, Vikar sat down in a comfortable chair and picked up a heavy photo album. He fingered through the pages, scrutinizing each photo with his mouth agape. After several minutes, he heard footsteps and keys jingle against the door. Vikar looked up from the photo book and waited for the familiar face to come through the door.

Melting into the shadows, Vikar glared hungrily at the human female. As she locked the door, he noticed, with a spasm of rage, that she was carrying the same bag she had on the train that hid her body from his eyes earlier. He watched impatiently as she navigated through the dark, kicking her shoes off and pulling her long hair into a pony tail, exhaling the stress from a hard day of work. Vikar continued to stare as she pulled off her shirt. He marveled at her taut skin, the urge to leap out and tear it apart all but unbearable. Suddenly, she paused, as though acutely aware of the intruder's presence, she turned slowly towards the shadows where Vikar waited. Catching a glimpse of his beady eyes reflecting in the pale light, she opened her mouth to scream as Vikar lunged forward. Wrapping his powerful hands around her neck, he painfully constricted her throat, reducing her animalistic scream to nothing more than a guttural moan. Her eyes grew wide with fear and helplessness as she stared into Vikar's own, the pitiless black void of his pupils filling her with a primal fear that nothing could quench. All of the anger that filled the murderous turian was being focused on this poor girl and it wasn't until she had been torn and beaten to a lifeless, nearly unrecognizable slab of meat that his rage was finally satiated.

Standing over the desecrated human corpse, Vikar growled triumphantly, his muscles quaking from a potent combination of adrenaline and satisfaction. Content with the knowledge that his plan would be set in motion tomorrow, Vikar finally allowed himself to relax. Tomorrow, _finally_, he would complete the task that he had dreamed of for years. But for tonight, he was going to get some needed rest in this unknown apartment.

The three light raps on the apartment door was a surprise; Toby wasn't expecting anyone else. Peeking cautiously through the peephole, he saw the distorted, yet familiar face of Rachel Hartmann, his friendly neighbor whom he ran into earlier this morning. Grinning, he pulled open the door.

"Evening Mr. Heiko," she said cheerfully, holding a book against her chest.

"Hey Rachel, what's up?" She pulled a wisp of hair behind her ear nervously.

"Can I ask Mrs. Heiko for help with my math homework? I'm kind of stuck."

"Yeah yeah, come on in. Are you hungry?" Rachel stepped inside, looking at him, confused.

"I'm a poor college student, take a guess." Toby chuckled, waiting for her to take off her shoes and motioning for her to follow him.

"We were just about to sit down for dinner, come on in." Rachel followed Toby through the foyer, hanging a right into the small kitchen.

"Rachel!" Gia came running around the corner, hugging her friend's leg. Rachel bent over, giving Gia a hug in return.

"Mrs. Heiko, why did you decide to teach Gia English instead of Khelish," Rachel asked.

"Rachel? Hey there," Nashira said, clearly surprised. She hovered over the stove while Toby set up a bed of salad on each plate, grabbing an extra one from the cabinet above Nashira's head. "Well, I think it is easier than Khelish. Also, meeting Toby before she could speak a single word, I thought it would be a good idea for Gia and Toby to speak the same language instead of using translators all the time. Also, I speak English now so it all makes sense."

"Why didn't you teach Mr. Heiko to speak Khelish?" Rachel asked, attempting to tease Toby. Flame exploded from the pan as Nashira burned off the alcohol from the sauce.

"Quarians pick up on languages more efficiently than humans." Nashira shot back provocatively. Toby ignored the back and forth, focusing on making sure the plates were ready for the fish. Nashira slid the fillets of red colored seafood on the plates. He noticed Rachel was staring at the fish confused.

"This is a fish from the asari homeworld, Rachel, quite different that the ones on Earth. Oh, Nash, I picked up a special treat for both you and Gia to eat tonight." Nashira put the pan back on the stove top as strands of steam swirled up into the overhead fan. Toby pulled two tubes out of his pocket, handing one to Nashira. She looked it over, eyes flashing as she read the label.

"Where did you get this and how much was it?"

"It is a special treat, don't ask, just enjoy it." Nashira folded her long fingers up, protecting the dextro-meat. This was a rare delicacy for a quarian; dextro food was hard to come by and life on the Flotilla had reduced most rations to a combination of vegetables mashed into a thick paste.

Rachel greeted Brian and took a seat next to Gia at the table. Toby whispered to Nashira that Rachel needed help with some math homework after dinner. She agreed to help her, as Nashira was considered a mathematic genius amongst most aliens. Toby sat across from his wife, smiling at her as she silently ate the ambrosial rich paste with her hands in her lap. Gia sat next to Toby, drawing a surprisingly detailed picture of a spaceship using markers Toby managed to find at an art store months ago. Even though she only had three fingers, Gia utilized them well, adapting quickly and drawing impressive pictures for her age.

As everyone eagerly tore into their dishes, Toby poked the food with his fork and lost his appetite after the first mouthful. The fish was cooked to perfection and full of flavor, but his stomach was repulsed by it. He stared at the red flesh, unpleasant flashes of his tours in N7 passing through his mind. Strands of cooked muscle interweaved with searing shrapnel, bloody faces coughing up blood and mucus, gore flung into the air.

"Honey, are you okay?" Nashira said softly, her voice easing him out of his troubled mind.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about today. I'm just happy to be home with my family and friends." He quickly put his hand under the table, feeling blood trickle from wounds he just gave himself with his fingernails. Nashira's shoulders slouched with her head leaning to the left slightly. Toby felt she knew what was going on. He wanted to tell her the truth right now, but didn't want to scare Gia or Rachel. Toby lipped "later" and smiled, playing with her feet from under the table.

"So, Rachel, how was school today?" She looked away from her food, placing a hand on her mouth, trying to chew quickly. "Take your time, I didn't mean to catch you in the middle of chewing."

Gia giggled at the situation then went back to drawing her picture.

"Great. We went into neurobiology a little bit and talked about how to look at blood and DNA. Really interesting stuff and my asari teacher is seriously a genius."

"How do the other students treat you Rachel? I mean are the other species mean to you?" Nashira asked, weaving her hands together and leaning in.

"They are all really nice people. We are all intelligent and don't see the point of racism," she informed her.

"Do you guys get to learn about aliens?"

"Do you mean quarians, Mrs. Heiko? We will fairly soon. I already signed up for a class on quarians for next semester. I want to work on aliens…I mean, other species. Thanks to you and Gia, I find quarians really interesting. I mean, they act more like humans than, well, humans."

Toby raised his eyebrow and said, "Would you care to enlighten us?"

Rachel nervously pulled her hair behind her ears.

"Your relationship is…it's better than any human's relationship than I've seen. You two never fight and, Mrs. Heiko, you act more human than me."

"I do?" Toby stared at Nashira and just knew she was blushing behind the veil of her faceplate.

"I think? I don't really know you on a super personal level, but I always thought aliens would act more…alien. I mean you wear a wedding ring and dress beautifully. You even smell like strawberries all the time." Toby loved this; he suppressed a snicker, biting his fist as his wife's shoulders slouched inwards from the flattery. She stared at the thick platinum ring on her finger, twisting it absentmindedly.

"Well, quarians are… how should I put it, very physical. Since we don't show our faces, we have to analyze and utilize subtle body language, more so than any other species." Nashira explained.

"That is why I find you so interesting. I love quarians so much and having two as neighbors is awesome. Even as a little girl, I wondered what was under the mask, why you wore suits, and why you lived among the stars." Rachel's smile disappeared, realizing what her outburst must have sounded like. "I um…yeah. I am sorry; I didn't mean that to sound like it did." Brian started clapping, chewing his food with an open mouth.

"Vat vas good, Wachel," he sputtered, flinging food on the table. Nashira's silver eyes glared at the debris scattered on the table, ignoring the big oaf.

"I understand Rachel, I wasn't offended." Nashira assured. "Remember that I am your neighbor and if you need any help next semester dealing with quarians, I'm right next door."

Relieved, Rachel exhaled and stared at her food.

"But don't ask what they look like under the helmet, Rachel." Brian said, this time with his mouth clear. Nashira glared at him. "I did that once at their wedding and got slapped."

Gia laughed, listening in on the story.

"You slapped Uncle Brian, Mommy?"

Toby's wife giggled, thinking back on the day.

"I didn't understand Uncle Brian's humor back then, Gia. Also, that is the fastest way to get dumped by a quarian. Remember that Rachel if you ever get into a relationship with one." Rachel blushed and continued eating.

"You were a feisty one back then." Brian said, smirking. Toby suppressed a grin, thinking his friend was about to get hit again.

"Do you really want to get slapped again, Brian," Nashira asked, putting her right hand on the table.

"Joking! I was joking." He yelled, raising his hands, causing Gia to burst out laughing, entertained by his goofy humor.

Toby sat quietly, listening to Nashira and Brian go back and forth for a while before standing up and going to the bathroom, clenching his wounded hand, making sure no blood dripped onto the carpet. The door shut silently behind him, the animated voices now muffled by the thick door to the master bedroom. Nashira had started explaining adiabatic quantum computation to Rachel and he could hear Gia squealing and Brian laughing. Walking into the bathroom, he opened his hand over the sink. Dark red blood followed the creases on his palm, dribbling into the sink. _What in the hell happened? I haven't had a flashback like that in years and especially not in front of my family. _He rolled up his blue sleeves and turned on the sink, washing his wound. The clear water turned pink as it swirled down the aluminum drain. After sterilizing his hands, he took a close inspection of himself in the mirror. Dark sacks were swelling up under his eyes from lack of sleep and the stress of the recent mission.

Rubbing his eyes, Toby reflected on a past mission, also against a group of batarian terrorists. Their plan had been brutal and heartless. The objective was to murder as many human civilians as possible using _O_-ethyl _S_-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate, otherwise known as VX nerve gas. In a display of cunning intelligence, the VX had been mixed with the fire suppression system of a human spacecraft. VX is a tasteless, odorless substance that has a high viscosity in its liquid form, making the fire suppressors a perfect delivery system. The batarians attacked when the ship was minutes away from the nearby planet of Shanxi. The VX nerve gas, while in its liquid form, isn't as lethal as its gas state, but the infected humans would undoubtedly evacuate the ship spreading the VX across the planet and likely killing thousands before it could be contained. Adding to the problem was the fact that VX nerve gas is extremely adhesive, ensuring its lethality for as far as the infected could spread. Another obstacle was figuring out how to dispose of the corpses. Burning them was out of the question as VX was one hundred times more lethal in a gaseous state.

Fortunately for the citizens of Shanxi, they were given a heads up and stopped the ship from reaching the planet's surface. The unpleasant part of that operation had been administering a lethal paralytic throughout the contaminated ship. The nerve agent that saturated the craft destroyed the inhabitant's nervous systems, resulting in flaccid paralysis of all the muscles in the human body. The final cause of death was suffocation due to the unmoving diaphragm; not a pleasant way to die. The resulting footage had been devastating. Men, women, and children all clumped together en masse, suffering beyond comprehension. They had to watch the video from the surveillance camera in the debriefing and it was the most horrible thing Toby had seen to date. Hundreds of people convulsing, the bodies going into spasm with violent muscle contractions as the agent manipulated the release of acetyl cholinesterase enzymes in the bloodstream. C-sec had been required to analyze the footage, sound turned on no less, searching for clues or things they missed. Just thinking about it made Toby wish he could go back and simply murder the batarian group before they had a chance to act. When C-Sec had to breach the ship, the bulkhead explosion ripped apart the bodies inside, creating what could only be described as a gore infested cradle of death. With a shudder, he recalled using dismembered corpses as cover as protection from the onslaught of bullets from the entrenched terrorists. That was unequivocally the second worst day of his life and being hit by a full on flashback was one of the last things he wanted right now.

Returning his mind to the present, Toby wrapped the four cuts on his hand with a wide bandage to conceal his self inflicted wound, mostly for Gia's benefit as she was terrified of the sight of blood. Turning off the lights, Toby walked back to the living room. Brian was sitting by the window, pointing out over the Ward arm, probably telling stories to Gia of their adventures they had as Enforcement Officers several years ago. Nashira was explaining some math to a visibly frustrated Rachel. Toby took a seat next to Gia, leaning against the comfortable sofa. Gia threw herself on his chest with a squeal.

"Uncle Brian was telling me stories about bad guys, Daddy!" Gia yelled excitedly.

Toby's chest prickled where Gia was lying, the sensation spreading across his body. Her petite chest rising and falling against his gave him a sense of life and pure joy. Brian stood up and clambered towards the door.

"Well, I should be leaving now. Thanks for dinner guys, call me tomorrow morning." Everyone said goodbye and he silently closed the door behind him.

"Gia," Toby whispered, smiling, "do you want help building your models while Mommy helps Rachel out with homework?"

Though she had been humming a tune to herself, Gia immediately started, jumping to her feet and grabbing Toby's arm.

"Yes Daddy!"

Toby grinned at Nashira while walking to Gia's room. He flicked on her light, looking around her small room. Her bed was directly off to the right and her miniature desk was tucked away in the alcove opposite, its surface riddled with stickers of ships.

"Did you do all your homework, Gia?" Toby asked, sitting on the floor and looking at the half completed cargo ship. Gia nodded and showed him the sheets of completed paperwork.

"Gia, what ship is this?"

"That is a Kowloon class merchant vessel and I could use some help finishing it." she said in an extraordinarily intelligent manner.

Gia picked up a vial of gray paint, setting it down in front of Toby along with a thin paintbrush. She unfolded the instructions and pointed to parts C18 through C30. "You need to paint these parts gray, Daddy."

"Got it, Captain GiGi." Toby said, with exaggerated authority.

She giggled, bouncing enthusiastically in her thick plastic chair. They soon proved a great team as they worked, and five minutes in they were attaching the fully painted cockpit to the fuselage. Toby gnawed on his tongue, fully concentrating on the ship, when two hands began caressing his shoulder and the smell of strawberries filled his nose.

"Rachel is gone for the night." Nashira cooed, looking over his shoulder and sitting down next to him.

With a slight giggle, she placed a sizable box on top of Gia's pillow; a new ship model. Toby grinned at his wife's sly ways.

"Did you explain to her what adiabatic quantum computation is?"

"Yeah, but she still didn't get it. It's very complicated."

"She'll get it, she's a smart kid. How did the doctor appointment go today?" Toby asked.

"Good. We had a different doctor than usual, but she did fine." Nash responded.

She yawned, stretching her arms up in the air. "That pack of mine is killing my back."

Right after she blurted that out, she wished she could take it back. Toby turned around, glaring at Nashira, noticing her two eyes were closed and her body rigid.

"Get a new pack tomorrow for yourself," he ordered her sternly. "The one you have now is in ribbons."

Nashira nodded, walking out of the room and taking a glance back at her family.

"Gia, I'm really tired and need to go to bed. I had a long day today," Toby whispered, placing a hand on her back. Her shoulders slouched and she stopped gluing. "Hey Gia, do you want to feed Nelson really fast?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, come here." He lifted Gia up, carrying her towards the fish tank. Nelson darted back into cover, his luminescent eyes staring at them from the shadows. Gia pinched some flakes from the small yellow tin can, dusting the water with the rainbow colored food.

"Hi Nelson, how are you?" she whispered, tapping on the bowl. "I hope that turian ship keeps you safe if you have any nightmares."

Toby twitched as his mind devolved into horrible images that came quickly and brutally. The sound of a skull breaking, the shrill scream of a woman, and the feeling of utmost helplessness all barraged his senses at once. Then, as fast as it hit him, it fled.

"Daddy, you're squeezing too tight!" Horrified, Toby looked down at his daughter cradled in his arms.

"Oh Gia, are you okay sweetie? I…I didn't mean to."

"Can you set me down?"

"Yeah, yeah…Gia, I." Toby stumbled, unable to find the right words.

"Do you need me to put you to bed, GiGi?" He asked going onto one knee and grabbing her hands, trying to find the words to apologize. All he wanted to do was tell the truth, but he didn't want to scare his daughter.

"It's okay Daddy, I'm fine."

"Remember to wash your hands before you go to bed Gia."

"I will Daddy." She trotted towards the short hallway and into the bathroom.

He fought back the tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes. The thought of hurting his daughter was sickening. The nightmare hit him moments ago like a slap to the face; he was completely unprepared. Both times he could have hurt or killed someone while being crushed by these episodes. What was going on with him? Why were these frightening images thrashing at his brain _now_? Toby stood up, walking towards his bedroom. The handle of the door leading into his bathroom was smeared in blood. His heart stopped beating as he stared, dumbfounded, and a wave of hysteria crashed over him.

"Nashira!" He breached the door, swiveling his head, searching for his wife.

"Yes, Toby?" Nashira's head poked out of the bathroom, bewildered by Toby's apparent dismay. "Are you okay, Toby?" Toby turned around, staring at the door handle which was now immaculate. _What? _He blinked several times, then turned back to Nashira who put down a hand towel and moved towards her husband.

"I saw…no. Nash, I have to talk to you and whatever I say I am telling the truth." He grabbed her hands, pulling her towards the edge of their bed.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was shaky, fearful. Toby had to tell her the truth, the truth about everything that has happened today down to the smallest detail.

"I…I almost hurt Gia a moment ago." Nashira's hand gripped Toby's with protective strength. "I took her to feed Nelson, then the nightmare hit. I don't know why it hit me then but...honey, I could have crushed her." He whimpered. "And look at my hand; I did this to myself at dinner." Nashira unwrapped the white bandage on his hand, lightly touching his nail marks. "And today, a terrorist said my name. He called me 'Heiko,' Nash. I mean what in the hell does that mean? How does he know my name?" Nashira stared at him, slouching, leaning her head on his.

"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm just glad you shared that with me. I trust you with Gia, Toby, I do. You have had a tragic life before you met me seven years ago and I understand that. I know soldiers like you all go through these stages. I love you and trust you with my life and Gia's life. All this will pass, I promise." Her voice was his medicine, what she had to say was more reassuring that any prescription or any shrink he could afford. For once today, he felt sane. Staring into her eyes he felt safe, as they sparkled with trust and long term commitment that only one woman in the whole galaxy could hold for him.

"Thank you, Nashira." She let go of his hands, reaching up to her mask. Toby gently grabbed her arms, pulling them away, but she insisted. A subtle hiss and a pop was all there was to revealing the most beautiful face in he had ever seen in his life. It seemed too pure to be looked at. Her features were so placid and seraphic; he fought against the urge to touch them with his hands for fear of them melting the face with his body heat. Everything was right at that moment; nothing mattered anymore except him and Nashira as they kissed, pushing themselves under the blankets.

Executor Kieran bent over his desk, staring at the monitor as he reviewed Toby Heiko's interview. He touched his hand today, the hand of a capable human that could take a big step towards gaining the trust of the other species. This wasn't going to happen, not while he could control this human's path. He knew that as Executor, he could do anything he wanted and get away with it. Humans were the scourge of the galaxy, a festering disease that had to be exterminated. Kieran knew it was only a matter of time before they could get their filthy hands on politics and start controlling power, but he had plans on how to delay this for years.

The artificial wind rustled the leaves of the oak tree right outside of his window, swishing in the plants ethereal sweet scent. Kieran understood that if he went through with this operation, he needed to contact a higher power as a failsafe. There was no room to fail, but having a backup plan if there was an anomaly was the smartest thing to do. He walked over to the balcony, staring at the grassy fields stretched out before him. The short blades swayed in the quiet breeze, shifting to a lighter green, brandishing their tender bellies towards the sky. White pillars of clouds were tangled together, smashing into each other like peaceful giants. The young turian captain, Vikar, had turned the plan into a failure thus far. He had lots to learn and Vikar hoped this was the last mistake he would have to learn from.

Kieran pressed the small folds out of his sleeve, giving final consideration to the plan. It was for the greater good of the galaxy. Humans could not be allowed to get their hands on galactic power. His hands clenched into fists and he walked back to his desk, looking at a roster. On it there were five names: one salarian, two turians, and two humans. He just received the list only moments ago through an e-mail and it had enraged him. His finger traced the names landing on the first human. Vincent J. Cugasi. The human had an impressive record, but the fact it was a human was disgraceful. These animals were mindless and reckless and he saw what happened today through his surveillance camera in the debriefing trailer down at the turian embassy. Cugasi was intelligent and powerful, but didn't have the honor to have his name on this list. His finger went down to the second name. Toby E. Heiko. Kieran pulled his hand away from his name, bringing up his record. Again, it was very impressive. Joined the Alliance Marines the first month it was established back in 2149, when he was twenty one years old. He fought on the ground during Shanxi, earning several medals including The Distinguished Service Cross. He was then elected for N7, the Alliance's Special Forces branch. He served four years on tour then retired to work on C-Sec. He served three years as an officer patrolling the streets when he was elected as a candidate for the Citadel Security Special Response branch.

Kieran remembered signing him off, but his other superiors argued against him just to see what a human can really do. The list was burning a hole on his desk, along with making the decision to figure out what to do. At the top of the holopad were five words that frustrated Kieran more than anything else. It was an insult to his race and what he stood for. He read the words aloud.

"Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Candidates."

He was not going to allow a human into the ranks of those elite few. He made his decision. Kieran punched in a number only few people had and waited for a voice. The ringer buzzed once…twice…three times and on the fourth buzz, the hiss of static disappeared with a familiar voice on the other line, a man that held one of the most powerful positions in the galaxy.

"Yes, Executor?" Kieran gathered his courage to speak.

"Sir, can I rely on you to get me out of a mess if need be?" The voice was quiet on the line for a moment, thinking very carefully on his next words.

"Or help make a mess," the voice crackled back. Kieran was speechless and confused.

"Sir?"

"I know your plan, Executor. I will pick up every piece of the mess you make if need be." There was nothing left to say. Kieran didn't know how he got a hold of his information, but that didn't matter. He was who he was and he held infinite power. The other line hung up leaving Kieran in his office alone. He had some calls to make to get the show on the road.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_Toby was in a bar. He left a tip for the bartender then looked towards his fiancée.__Everything was clouded in dishwasher yellow light, except for his hands and a single face in the crowd. _

_Voices._

_They rang out like church bells on a brittle winter morning._

_Cutting though the fog like a razor._

"_Are you going to finish your d__r__ink," the asari bartender asked, pointing at his cup with several sips of beer at the bottom. The bartender's face was fogged, but had a smooth flap of smooth skin folded over her face, hiding her features. It was something from a nightmare. Toby stared at the amber liquid, contemplating whether he should finish it. "You need to stay hydrated." Toby grinned and threw the liquid back, listening to the blank face, like he has done many times before._

"_Are we ready to go Toby?" _

_The voice._

_It sounded familiar, yet shattered something inside of him._

_Tugging._

_Pulling._

_Ripping._

_Toby looked to his fiancée, Rena, who was hanging onto his arm. Her features were clear, so sharp and real. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail and her dome of soft obsidian glittered in the dim lights. The black dress she was wearing complimented her dark Indian skin and light brown eyes. She was beautiful._

_Ripping._

_Strangulating._

_Suffocating._

_Squeezing._

_The effluvium, which reeked of death, closed in and compressed the atmosphere. Soon, it was coming._

"_Yes darling, I am ready to leave." Rena pulled him out of the door and into the busy streets of the Wards. _

_Lights blurred to a grainy texture. _

_Voices now sounding like they were forced underwater. _

"_Is this really the way to celebrate me getting a job in C-Sec," he found himself asking out of reflex._

"_What, going out for dinner and drinks isn't a good celebration," she asked in her thick accent he found so attractive. _

"_No no, I had a good time." He kissed her on the forehead as she leaned into his chest. "What do you say we take a shortcut home?"_

"_What is at home you want so badly, Toby?" He grinned pulling her towards a dark alleyway, circling around the crowded night streets of the Wards filled with indistinguishable surrogates._

"_Nothing," he joked, playing innocent. Toby peered at the alleyway and fear filled his mouth, jetting into his lungs, drowning a scream. Never has this emotion been so potent. He could feel the air pressurizing, like he was sinking deep into an ocean of melted lead. The atmosphere changed from a cheerful night to something charred and primeval. There was something dangerous in the alleyway but he couldn't see it._

_Black enveloped him. _

_A metallic tinge tickled his throat. This black was nonexistent in the universe, so thick it threatened to suffocate him. It was teeming with evil energy, so evil his intestines tied into knots, trying to escape this unstoppable force. This wasn't fear, but something else that existed below fear. The thing in the black deprived all emotion; it was something that existed in twisted fantasies Lucifer himself could conjure. Toby grabbed his fiancée, protecting her with his life as he felt something hurdling towards him and nothing was going to stop it. It was unstoppable, draining the life from his very existence, filling every cell in his body with the most concentrated fear… no, not fear, but something not even a poet could describe. Finally it hit him, tearing the grip from Rena, throwing her into the black, impenetrable void. Whatever it was that attacked him, it was ravaging his fiancée. The sound of bones snapping under great pressure was intermingled with screams that escaped from the inky black. _

_She was dying._

_He could do nothing about it but search on his hands and knees, feeling for his fiancée in this soupy, black elixir he was thrown in. Hands scraped against pavement; skin peeled off his knuckles as this evil increased the gravity, making him suffer more. His name was being called out and he yelled back to his fiancée, who was being torn apart by this immovable force. There was nothing he could do. He could hear the thing stomping on Rena with such force, it made him wheeze. Its energy was extraordinary, taking it all out on his fiancée, releasing all its stowed force from centuries of hibernation as it finally hatched from its cocoon. His name was called out again, but he knew that was impossible, for she couldn't still be possibly alive._

Toby's eyes fired open in hysteria, grabbing at the thing on top of him for safety. He felt so vulnerable, so naked, he clawed and clutched at whatever was waiting for him. Fear rumbled from within; an earthquake of it, which shook him, cracking his skin, releasing the warmth from his core into the chilly unknown. The blankets fell off his naked shoulders. Cold air cut deep into his flesh, scraped against his brittle bones, sucking all warmth from his soul and physical form.

"Toby!" His name was called again but not by Rena. "Toby!" Finally, he snapped out of his frenzied state.

"Where am I?"

His voice was alien and shrill, like an animal being put on a butcher's wooden table while alive.

"Honey, you are home with me. It is Nashira." Toby's heart wanted to emerge from his chest as it beat on its bone cage wishing to be let free. Nashira was straddled over his waist, pushing his shoulders into the mattress attempting to keep him calm.

"Oh God Nash, oh God," Toby panted, breaking into tears.

"You are fine honey; you are safe at home in your warm bed with me. You are fine." Toby's weak body hugged Nashira with the rest of his dwindling strength. His bare chest was slick with perspiration and the sheets were soaked with his sweat from the nightmare that shriveled his brain into a black cowering mass. His meek body trembled, drained of energy and terrified. "It's over Toby, the nightmare is over."

"Nightmare…what?"

"You were calling out Rena's name."

"Rena. I was," asked Toby, hugging her tighter, attempting to find body heat but failed for obvious reasons. He pulled Nashira away, looking at her polarized facemask that was back on.

"Yes, you were. I tried waking you, but you wouldn't Toby. I tried to get you out of that damn place you visit." Toby was still shell-shocked from the night terror. His ears were ringing and the adrenaline was slowly slipping from his limbs leaving only shaking knobs of bone and flesh. The nightmare was so bad, he had muscle contractions throughout his whole body and it felt like he just finished running a marathon.

"She was pregnant Nashira."

Her hands grabbed Toby's face bringing his glazed over gaze to meet hers.

"Rena?" He nodded slowly as stress dissolved from his tightened chest.

"That is one secret I have been holding back all these years. That is why I am so protective with Gia; I can't afford to lose another child. I can't physically afford to lose another loved one Nashira. I am sorry."

Nashira was almost at a loss of words as she finally snapped the last piece of the puzzle in place.

"Toby, there is nothing to be sorry about." Nashira embraced him, comforting the broken man in her bed. He shivered like a cold, wet animal that was beaten by its master. His life was about to fall apart; crumble into a pile of ash and blow away in the harsh wind. "Toby, stay with me." He pulled the sticky blankets off his naked body and tried sitting up, but was too weak. All his energy had diminished. "What do you need, I will get you anything."

"You are the only thing I need right now." He somehow cracked a crooked grin, stuffing his head under her neck. "The ones that killed my wife, they were a bunch of drunken aliens that wanted to take out their problems on us." Toby held up a fist showing it to Nashira. It was cratered in scars and his fingers were bent. "I tried to kill all four of them with my bare hands. It was the only way." Nashira humbly sat still, listening to him talk.

"Did you ever find out who did it?"

"Nope, I killed one of them, but his buddies dragged him away. There was no evidence at that site which still confuses me to this very day." Toby's heart calmed itself as Nashira's hand pressed against his chest.

"That was a past life Toby, like mine. Let's not dwell on it, come back to bed." Nashira wrapped her thin arms around Toby neck like a necklace, pulling him back into the mattress.

"I don't want to fall back into that nightmare again Nash."

"Then _we_ can just lay here if you want."

As much as he wanted to do that, something pushed against his back. He needed to get out of bed. His mattress held too many memories, both wonderful and terrible.

"I need to do something to get my mind off of things if that is okay with you," he casually lied.

"That's fine Toby," she whispered softly. "But I am coming with you." Toby stood up, grabbing her hands.

"Okay then, I am going to plan the last five places to go to finish my book," he whispered back, dragging her towards the door of their bedroom after putting on some basic clothing. Suddenly, a muffled sweet voice passed from under the doorway of their bedroom. It was nectar to Toby's ears, his prize possession.

"Daddy, Mommy?"

It was Gia. His baby girl. The most important thing in life to Toby.

Quickly, Toby wiped the sweat and tears from his face, making a presentable appearance. He knew he would have looked foreign to Gia; not her Daddy but someone else's, maybe even an animal from one of her picture books. Something that should live in a cage, be fed water in a steel bowl, or maybe even be a study sample to a group of curious scientists. The dark should act as a dark robes, shadowing his haggard appearance from Gia. A feathery hand drifted to his shoulder, followed by a whisper.

"Go on Daddy, put her to bed," Nashira purred in his ear. A grin somehow broke past his lips as he opened the door to the hallway. Subtle tangerine light from Gia's nightlight danced into the small hall, gently illuminating Gia's petite form to the color of softened butter.

"Daddy, I had a nightmare," she whispered, clutching onto her favorite stuffed bear that was worn from cuddles and the washing machine. "I can't sleep Daddy." Her voice flushed the fear from Toby, replacing it with only warmth and love.

"Yeah, of course GiGi." Toby fought the hoarseness of his voice, plastering over the cracks with all his might. Slowly, he took her hand and led Gia into the small room that could have been mistaken for a young boy's bedroom.

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep," Gia asked not above a whisper. Picking her up, he pulled back the blankets, which looked like she wrestled with, and set her into bed, but was held back by a small hand clutching his finger.

"Do you want me to hop in with you," Toby asked Gia. Her head nodded up and down and Gia's little hand pulled him closer. This is what he loved the most about being a dad; these were the moment he cherished.

"Dibri tried to fight off the monsters in my head Daddy," Gia cooed, stuffing the bear into his face. The sweet scent of detergent spewed into his runny nose.

He was at home.

Not in the alleyway.

He was safe.

Toby stifled a chuckle, placing Bibri the Bear back into her chest.

"Daddy is here to fight off the monsters GiGi, don't worry."

"I know you are." Gia pressed her back into her father's chest for comfort and safety. Soon, Gia was whistling quietly. God did he love it. She didn't snore or breathe heavily but whistled in her sleep. The funny thing was she couldn't whistle when awake. Being a trouble maker, Toby offered Gia five credits for the first time she could whistle, which even to this day, still tries to accomplish that task. Feeling she was asleep, he tried to move to get out of bed for the fear he was going to fall asleep and get dragged back into the dream.

"No Daddy," Gia croaked. "Stay here."

"Okay sweetie." To keep himself awake, he started to hum a tune. Gia pressed against Toby's chest again, feeling the vibrations from his deep voice which rocked her to sleep quickly.

_Blazing pinpricks of light, Sable curtains pulled back, They escape down his cheek._

_He tries with all his might Not to let them turn black. Don't let the light be meek. _

_Man on the Moon cries bright, He finds he has a lack of what he calls bleak._

_Oh he leaks, Oh he weeps, and he leaps! _

_Man on the Moon makes sky, makes what we see go bye! _

Toby recited the poem several times, each time getting quieter and quieter until he was sure that Gia was sleeping. "Night Gia, I love you honey." Softly, he got up and kissed her on the faceplate but before closing the door, he checked on her again. She was passed out and was blissfully whistling away, hopefully dreaming of stars, the Man on the Moon, and the rising sun.

The polarized windows let little light in, making it feel like night in the apartment, one such "luxury" he missed. Toby noticed Nashira, sitting in his swivel chair, spinning slowly, probably in deep thought. His office was spotless and perfectly organized as if it was owned by an obsessed savant. The small desk had his holomonitor on it, which was dimmed and painting the mountain pass gray walls with feathery light.

"You are the best father, Toby."

Grinning, he didn't say anything back relating to her appreciated comment.

"Pull up a chair and grab that holopad, it has a map of all the restaurants on the Citadel." Nashira unfolded a plastic chair pulling it next to Toby and slapped the pad on the desk. "Hey Nash?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever get frustrated with what I am doing here? Writing a book naming the one hundred tastiest places to eat on the Citadel?" Nashira looked down at the pad momentarily then back to Toby.

"No, why?"

He wrestled with his thumbs momentarily.

"Because you can't really eat anything."

"I don't really know what flavors are, so I don't think I am missing out so much," she told him cheerfully, cocking her head to the left. Toby grinned at the awesome spirit his wife had and powered up his monitor. His eye's attention was stolen by a blinking red light on the top of his monitor.

"Pira," he whispered with his brain bleeding nervousness. Quickly, he opened the letter and on the first sentence, he was slapped in the face by realities chilly hand. "Oh my God Nash, Lieutenant Cugasi has been murdered in his apartment." Nashira leaned over, quickly read the letter and gasped.

"Who would do this?" Toby's anger flared as he knew exactly who did it and this time, Vikar wasn't going to get away with murder.

"Nash, I need to go."

"Wait a second Toby, who did this?" Toby stood up from his chair and slammed it under the desk. "Toby, I know you know who did this!"

"It was Vikar, Nash."

"Don't do anything _stupid_ Toby, you hear me? Stay right here." Toby turned around noticing she had arms crossed and her right leg locked. Her usual quarian defensive stance.

"I am not…trust me on this one." He quickly gave her a kiss, ignored her last sentence, and stormed into his room putting on a fresh black t-shirt and jeans.

_How could he be so stupid? He knew a dozen people heard him make that death threat to Vince, why would he go kill him right now? Vikar is a lunatic!_

The pistol strapped in its pouch was hanging off his bed's post, which was the last thing he needed as he pulled a worn, dark brown leather jacket over his broad shoulders that concealed his pistol which rested under his left arm. Toby was going to find Vikar and bring him down right now. There was no time to get Brian, or maybe Pira already contacted Brian.

Pira!

Toby glanced at his watch and saw it was the second hour into the morning. _Does she ever sleep? _

"Toby." He spun around, peering at Nashira before walking out the door.

"Tell Gia she can feed Nelson when she wakes, that might get her motivated to get up for school. Remember, only one pinch and use the yellow can. She tried to feed him paprika one time." Nashira nodded and disappeared behind the corner walking towards their bedroom. "I love you Nashira," he said under his breath while closing the front door.

Pira sat in the half empty dispatcher room typing fiercely into her keyboard. The Lieutenant was dead and she had an idea who did it. She punched send, shooting a quick e-mail to Toby informing him of what happened.

"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, taking a momentary break, glaring at her two shaking hands. She stared at the phone to her left waiting for the light to start blinking. Minutes later, a lime green light turned on and her hand snapped to the earpiece looped around her head.

"Toby," she whispered sharply.

"Pira, what is going on?" She could hear sharp voices stabbing at her ear in the background along with the roar of the Citadel. Although it was odd, she unconsciously ignored the noise.

"The LT was murdered in his home like an hour ago. I picked it up on the sensor all C-Sec officers have in their body measuring heart rate and location. He flat lined about an hour ago and his heart rate spiked right before he went down like there was a struggle or something," she informed him all in one breath. She thought Toby was going to start naming situations that could have caused this like cardiac arrest, suicide, or even choking to death on food like he usually would do because of his skepticism. Nothing of the sort came from his mouth though.

"Got it Pira."

What he said sounded determined. It was odd of him.

Puzzled, she asked, "Heiko, where are you right now?"

"That doesn't matter." She had the suspicion something was wrong, very wrong. Damn it! Sending him that message was a stupid mistake and she knew where he was and what he was doing.

"Don't tell me you are heading over to his house." The line was quite and she got her answer because Toby was known as a terrible liar. "Toby, that isn't a good idea."

"Why not? If Vikar did this then maybe I can get to him before-"

"Toby, what are you talking about? Fill me in right now," she ordered, cutting him off. Pira realized her two hands were clenched onto her chair's armrest with the situation becoming intense. She took five deep breaths, calmed down, and looked around making sure she wasn't drawing too much attention to herself. Her two elbows clucked against her desktop as she put her head in the cup of her two hands trying to chill out.

"At the debriefing yesterday, Vikar got into a fight with Cugasi, like a full out fist fight. Vikar told Cugasi he was going to kill him."

"You can't be serious Toby. How do you know he was going to kill him? If he told the Lieutenant he was going to kill him, why would he actually do it when dozens of people heard him say it?" Pira put her forehead into her palm thinking.

"It was the way he said it Pira. I have reason to believe that they are covering up his footsteps."

"Who do you mean 'they'," Pira shot back flustered at the situation.

"Komani maybe? He has gotten away with murder and once you get away with murder, you do it again. I have seen cases like this before. Vikar isn't the brightest turian, but he knows how to get out of messes. Pira?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you track Vikar's location right now?"

Goddess she felt stupid. She was so concentrated on getting questions answered for herself and helping Toby to even think about tracking him.

"Yeah, hang on." The room was clearing out as the morning shift was lumbering in, taking over the night shift's role. It was only her and several others left who dozed off, staring into the monitors, just dreaming about going to bed. Getting caught hacking into C-Sec's highly restricted servers to track down an operative, a high ranking operative, would get her fired or even arrested. She had to be very careful with this one. She set an IP scrambler up which sifted through hundreds of codes a second so she was virtually untraceable. Pira quickly typed in Vikar's name, rank, and number. A blue bar began filling up on the bottom of the page searching for him. The screen came up suddenly with his BPM and location, but suddenly the map hit static.

_Shit. _

The computer crashed and went dark with a small white symbol blinking on the bottom of the page. Black waves lapped against the edges of her vision when the white symbol typed something out.

_You naughty girl Pira, you naughty girl. _

On her side with head resting upon her arm, Nashira lounged on the bed, looking out the window at the most incredible engineering feat in history. A fifty kilometer long carpet of orange lights were rolled out in front of her 148 stories below. The building had the minutest vibration to it, from the stampedes of people, to the millions of generators and whatever else powered this abstruse structure tucked away in the Serpent Nebula's shawls. Her thoughts wandered back to Toby though. She has never seen him in this kind of state. Dark nightmares were returning and she recalled him saying they return whenever something bad was going to happen. It sounded superstitions, hell, it even sounded mystical, but she believed him and they both have proof. The first time they reoccurred was when Gia got an infection in her suit from a tear about year ago. With that infection, Nashira has never been so worried in her life. She never left the hospital for two straight weeks and never left Gia's side. Toby tried to stay with her as much as possible, but with his seat in Special Response, he couldn't stay very much, but he wanted to never leave her side. With his dedication towards his daughter, he made camp at the hospital, sleeping outside her clean room for weeks.

Nashira couldn't tear her gaze away from Gia who slumbered under the plastic sheets. They were lucky enough to find a doctor specializing in quarian physiology at the time. That was the one and only time Toby got to see his daughters face. Nashira remembers Toby walking into the clean room when Gia's infection was at its apex and the doctor said she had a seventy percent chance of dying in the next day. Both of them wore clean suits into the small room with plastic curtains draped against all the walls. An air recirculation unit was the only thing buzzing in the tight room when Toby broke into tears seeing how beautiful his daughter was. _"It was like I could shatter her porcelain face with my gaze, she was so fragile and beautiful,"_ Toby told Nashira after he saw her.

Suddenly, Nashira heard a distant bellow in the hallway outside, snapping her back to reality.

"What was that," she whispered, getting to her feet. Following the scream, a heavy fist pounded on the door to her apartment. _Not Toby, he has keys. It sounds like a gloved fist. It is early in the morning, who could it be? _Her heart rate subtly rose as the fist pounded again following a crackly voice that was distinctly turian. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Toby," she whimpered, wishing he could answer the door. Nashira slowly crept into the small hallway, peeking around the corner through the dark living room and foyer. Shadows from feet, more than two pairs, stood sentinel from the small crack under the door. Her heart sprinted into her throat constricting the action to talk, each beat callously drumming in her ears like a battle drum. The shadows disappeared and the enhanced hearing in her helmet couldn't pick up on anything.

They left.

Nashira released a breath like she was holding it the whole time those people were standing at the door. The darkness constricting her vision dissipated as the liberating oxygen filled her lungs. It must have been nothing. All of a sudden, the handle to the door suddenly detonated into splinters like aggravated hornets surging out of their nest. Nashira went to her knees covering her ears from the explosion as shards of metal plinked off her mask.

_Gia! _

The monsters at the entrance began kicking at the mutilated door trying to breach into her house; their boots sounding like thunder claps.

"Mommy!" Nashira opened the door seeing Gia sitting up in her bed with the blankets clasped in her quarian hands.

"Listen to Mommy and get under your bed right now!" Gia rolled off the bed sliding under the frame. Her wide eyes glowed in bed's shadow. "Stay here, don't make a sound, Mommy will protect you."

_A gun._

_I need to find a gun._

_Under our bed._

_That is where he keeps it._

The door finally gave in, groaning on its crippled hinges, breaking through the drywall and jutting into Gia's bedroom. Nashira stared at the corner of the door that punctured the wall of Gia's room. She had to fight the paralysis attacking her from fright. Adrenaline tore into her veins and she ran through the hallway and into her bedroom.

_The gun._

_Where is it?_

_Not here!_

She desperately looked under the bed seeing and feeling nothing. The adrenaline made her overlook and over think the situation. Lying on her belly, a shadow engulfed her from a figure standing at the door. Nashira spun around on her back trying to get to her feet but it was already on top of her. It was powerful, capable to crush her quarian frame like a thin sheet of ice.

"Nashira, you are mine," the voice grumbled, whispering in her ear.

Toby navigated through the streets trying to find a taxi to get in to, which was the fastest mean of transportation. Going over to Cugasi's house for several dinner parties, along with Toby's photographic memory, meant he knew its exact location. Pira's fingers were typing ferociously on her keyboard, loud enough for it to come over the communication channel. Toby needed to keep his cool, stay alert, and not make irrational decisions. He could nail Vikar right here, right now. He heard Pira sigh then gasp.

"Pira?" The line was silent. Toby got out of the middle of the street yelling her name over the loud music emanating from a nightclub to his right. "Pira!"

"Toby, you are next," she shouted.

"What, what do you mean next? Pira? Pira!" His communication channel filled with static which was impossible on the Citadel. Someone was jamming him. _Think, you are next. What? What does that mean? _Panic attacked him, finally coming to the realization he was blocking out of his stubborn head. _First Cugasi…then me? But I am not home. Nash, Gia, no no no no! _Toby charged down the street towards his apartment. _They are cleaning house. If they killed the LT, then they are coming to kill me and if I am not there, they are going to kill Gia and Nash. They know what happened to me seven years ago, they know losing my family again would get me the worst. Vikar, he must have done this. He knew starting a fight with Cugasi and threatening to kill him, then going out and executing his promise, would catch my immediate attention if he died. He knew I would leave my house letting him get an open chance to do…something to my family. He set me up from the beginning! _

Toby's heart vigorously went into a frenzy. It was the undeniable fear taking over him along with his vivid imagination rather than cardiovascular trouble.

_Run._

_Run faster Toby._

_Fast._

_Faster._

_Need to get to Nashira and Gia._

_Go._

_Go._

_Go! _

All the lights and holographic advertising morphed into a blazing blur that zipped past him. Lactic acid burned in his legs, pushing his body beyond what it could go. The watch on his arm began beeping, letting him know he had to slow his heart. His mouth became viscous, tacky, and gummy. Vision blurred like looking into a tunnel with no end.

_Beeping, no._

_That doesn't matter._

_Need to get home._

_Now! _

Nashira screamed, clawing at the man on top of her like an animal cornered by its predator. Over her screams, she could hear other men in the apartment overturning tables, breaking objects, and searching for something. Her attention turned back to the monster…no, the turian on top of her. Using her powerful legs, she kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could. Her foot sunk deep into his torso with a solid thump, but he didn't budge. It was like something in a nightmare; an adversary which was impossible to harm. His hands clamped down on her inner thigh like a hydraulic claw, crushing the tender flesh hiding under the suit. Listening to him breathe heavily, he pulling her body closer to his so she couldn't harm him anymore. A metallic jingle from a belt suddenly made her aware of what was happening. This _thing _wasn't trying to kidnap her…it was trying to rape her.

"Hold still Nashira, I will make this quick," he whispered, drawing a line down her mask with his long tongue. This gave her more motivation than anything in the world to stop him.

"No! Get…the…hell… off me!" He was too powerful and she was fighting an uphill battle. The monster grabbed Nashira, pushing her into the mattress and taking a powerful blow at her head. Her vision beamed white from the surprising blow, taking her off guard. Concentrated pin pricks of light atomized in her field of vision as her body went limp. _Don't you dare go unconscious Nashira Heiko, get your ass up and fight! _Nashira let loose a guttural bellow, fighting the eclipse of darkness, locking her legs so he couldn't spread them.

"Get off! You will never get this suit off me you bosh'tet!"

A slender piece of metal glinted off the clock's light resting on her bedside table; a blade the thickness of a razor stood erect in his hand.

"I will cut your suit open Nashira, like a tube of toothpaste. I will get to you." One hand crimped around her neck, choking her as his hand slowly went below her waist. Gasping for air, her hand snaked under the pillow desperately searching for Toby's gun to shoot this son of a bitch. Sheets slipped through her hand that was rifling the bed for a weapon, anything she could defend herself with. There was nothing and hope slid through her hands like the sheets were. The hand wrapped around her neck was not moving anywhere as she dug her fingertips into his flesh, clawing at him desperately. Anxiety and claustrophobia began to drown her when she couldn't move. She was pinned to her bed. His beady eyes sparkled with lust, staring at her eyes through the shaded veil.

"I have done humans, asari, and turians, but never a quarian," he hissed, applying pressure to her inner thigh. "Now I can cross your vile species off my little list." Nashira bucked trying to get him off her, but he went nowhere. Her hands bolted towards his eyes like an eel springing from its hole, but he was too fast and she only ended up with another blow to the head, this time rendering Nashira limp for good.

_My apartment._

_I see it._

_Need to get upstairs now!_

_Wait, what is this?_

Toby slowed, seeing red and blue lights painting building's walls, emanated by patrol cars. His heart pounded against his ribs as he ran up to them. No. 20 was painted on one of the two car's side. _Damn it! _He snapped the safety belt from his Kevlar pouch under his arm, slipping the pistol out of its sheath. He had to be careful with this, if he got caught, then his family was going to…no, he wasn't going to get caught. Several people gasped at the sight of his pistol and walked away to quickly avoid any confrontation. The cold marble surrounding the base of his apartment licked his back as he peeked around the corner checking the lobby. _Nothing, it is clear. _He thumbed the safety off his firearm and spun around sweeping the lobby. _Arms straight, thumbs pointing forward, palms hugging each other, shoulders rolled forward, and keep the pistol poised at chest level. _

Piano music was playing which bounced ambient music eerily off the hollowed shell of the lobby. No one was behind the receptionist desk and the chair was pushed fifteen feet away from where it should be. Toby's imagination ran wild thinking about what happened to Mrs. Brown.

_Did they kill her?_

_Did she go to the bathroom?_

_Is her shift up?_

_Why is her chair over there?_

_I have to worry about her later._

"Heiko!" Toby's attention snapped to a salarian dressed in C-Sec fatigues walking out of the elevator with a hand behind his back.

"On the floor now!" The salarian didn't listen to Toby's stern order. With his free hand, the salarian touched the headset attached to his ear and opened his mouth to speak. He was one of them, Toby knew it. All he had right now was the element of surprise and this salarian was about to compromise it. Toby leveled the pistol to his face and squeezed the trigger once using the tip of his finger. His handgun barked and the salarian dropped with the hyper accelerated slug going in and out of his face, punching a small hole in the mahogany behind him. _One down and an unknown number left. _He ran into the elevator punching in floor number 147. The steel doors closed following a chime. His hands shook, not from the man he just killed, but from the worry of his family. He felt like a puppet on a stage Vikar set up and was acting out a story he wrote. Toby was a pawn that was going with the script.

"Break character," he found himself whisper. "Only way." Worried, he glanced up at the numbers which grew bigger the higher he went.

Others might be waiting for him at the 148th, floor, so making the decision to get off one floor before his own was the best choice. The stairwell would provide sufficient cover along with the element of surprise. If he took the 148th floor, as soon as the elevator doors open, he could just get wasted by a guard. Game over. But with this, he had a fighting chance, especially since he was outnumbered. Green blood speckled the candied tiled floor of the elevator, glistening in the light from the city below. A chime chirped and the doors hissed open. Nothing was waiting for him on this floor except for an old woman hobbling down the hallway, her footsteps and walker muffled by the carpet.

_Stairs to the right._

_Hallway clear._

_Need to get up there as fast as I can without making any mistakes. _

He punched the hollow metal door handle, breaching into the skinny staircase, training his pistol up between the stairs.

Still nothing.

His footsteps reverberated off the sheet metal walls as he stormed up the stairs, taking them three at a time. A deep voice percolated from under the door right in front of him. Toby stopped on the landing when noticing an asari head through the meshed glass window as she pushed the door open. He had to get to that door.

"Yeah yeah I will cover the staircase. The stupid bastard is going to use the elevator if he does come back," she yelled down the hallway. Toby waited for the door to close then he lunged at her, not shooting for fear of the others hearing the gunshot which would dissolving the element of surprise. Her eyes went wide trying to get her handgun pointed at Toby, but he was on top of her before she could do a thing, prodding her in the nose with the end of his pistol. He hit her so hard, her skull shattered like an eggshell, only being held together by skin. She died instantly, dropping to the floor and bleeding from the nose.

_Another one down. _

Toby double checked the asari on the ground behind him. Her arms and legs were slowly curling up as her brain was sending last minute electrical currents to the muscles. She was gone.

He cracked open the door, peering down the hallway and saw only one C-Sec personnel standing guard right our front his door. The turian was holding an assault rifle in civilian clothes waiting for the elevator to come up. _Oh God, they got to them first, oh God no! _He closed the door thinking of a plan of attack. _Okay, take him out first. If I can do it quietly, better for me. _Toby opened the door and quickly and quietly ran down the hallway. With all the training he has done with running every morning, he was fast, deadly fast. The turian spun his head around pointing the rifle at him, yelping something before Heiko tackled him, grabbing the guard's throat. With one hand occupied choking the guard, his other hand began smashing the turian's face with the handle of his pistol. The C-Sec officer's face began breaking, veins of blood trickled between the plates on his face. His nose caved in and his breathing became a wet tea kettle sound, spattering Toby in the face with dark blue blood.

"Die you son of a bitch, die!" The turian's eyes rolled to the back of his head with his body going limp. Toby stood up, peeked around the corner and looked into the foyer of his apartment. Where the handle of the door was, the wall was peppered with pellets from a breaching shotgun load. The lights were off, but he saw three silhouettes inside. More adrenaline coursed into his veins as he spun around the door frame leveling his pistol at the closest target. The muzzle flash of his pistol lit up the dark room, the blue lighting the eyes of three turian intruders. He put shot after shot into the three men standing in _his _house with _his _family inside. Rage took over his intelligence as the thought of these people trying to kill him when he was sleeping came into focus. They were cowards, all of them. This was the most insulting thing someone could do and he wasn't going to allow any of them walk away from this.

Three bodies fell to the floor, wheezing in their own puddle of gore.. Shattered bones, tenderized muscle, and spattered brain was all they deserved and received. Toby cleared the living room and kitchen, moving onto the hallway leading to the bedroom. There it was, blood smeared on the brushed aluminum handle leading into his bedroom. He could think about the supernatural later, but right now, he needed to save his wife and child. His boot clapped against the door sending it whirling into the dark bedroom. Nashira was lying on the bed motionless and he sensed another body in here. The six and a half foot frame that clashed with Toby's mere six feet stunned him momentarily. When he came to, Toby was staring up at the ceiling in his bedroom.

"Toby, you shouldn't have returned. I was having fun with Nashira." The voice stuck out like a sore thumb; it was Vikar. The turian saying his wife's name made his blood boil, flipped his stomach, and turned on a section of his brain he didn't know was there until Rena was murdered in that skuzzy alleyway. A beast emerged from him, something that even scared himself. Even in the dark, he noticed Vikar's shirt was half unbuttoned and his pants were completely off and draped over his _own_ bed. How dare him!

"What did you do to her?"

Vikar's fist lunged foreword, threatening to crush his skull. He moved to the side and the turian's fist broke against the ground. He didn't yell in pain though, he just snarled like an animal. Toby had to get to his feet and off his back so he could fight. The pistol flew out of his hands when Vikar attacked him, lost in the shadows' playground. Shooting him was still an option, but his other pistol was strapped under his bed's frame. Getting under the bed and turning his back to Vikar would mean instant death. Guns were not an option. Fighting him with his bare hands was suicide too. The subtle hint of alcohol teased his nose when Vikar spoke. Using his body as a weapon was now an option since the Captain wasn't going to be at full charge. Vikar's foot accelerated towards Toby's face from above. Now was his chance to make a move. He grabbed Vikar's leg to soften the blow to his chest and twisted ferociously, causing Vikar to stumble, letting a window of opportunity through for Toby to get to his feet. Vikar hissed seeing him get to his feet.

_I need a weapon now! _

Vikar swung again, pushing hot air by his face with an audible _swoosh_. Toby grabbed Vikar's arm, put a leg behind his, and pushed him to the ground. Toby screamed callously into his face putting an enormous amount of pressure on his arm finally breaking it, folding in completely backwards. They both screamed with rage like animals, both trying to take each other's lives.

"Toby, lean back!" Nashira stood over him with a massive wrench in her two hands.

"You quarian whore!"

Nashira swung her wrench, cracking Vikar in the face over and over again until he stopped moving.

"Nash, stop it! He is dead." She continued to pulverize his head into nothing more than a dark mush. "Nash!" Toby grabbed her hands and she exploded into tears embracing him.

"Did he touch you," Toby whispered into her hood, both of their bodies shaking from adrenaline.

"He tried. Keelah, he tried so hard." Toby set his hands on Nashira's shoulders, shuddering as a shocking realization collided with him.

"Where is Gia?"

"Gia, she is umm…oh Keelah! She is under her bed."

"Gia," Toby screamed, charging into the gore strewed hallway, his walls marred with blood. There was no response. The quiet chilled him. Her door handle had blood on it, the sight of it almost bringing him to his knees. A bad energy oozed from behind Gia's ship stickered door with a paralyzing effect. "Gia," he whispered while pushing open the door with Nashira looking over his shoulder. "Nash, I need you to get the pistol under the bed. It is strapped to the frame. Let me take care of this." She slowly backed up, walked into the master bedroom sniffling and shaking like a leaf. God he didn't want to open the door but he had to. Gia's door opened and Toby peered inside. Everything was normal. Her small orange night light was blazing in the corner, warming the room with its enthralling color. All her toys were put away following Toby's nightly clean up rule keeping the glossy wooden floor clean. But no, there was something wrong, terribly wrong. Toby released a tensioned breath holding a quaky hand over his mouth. His whole world spun and shook staring at the floor. Crimson drops of blood dribbled the pale wood. His eyes followed the path to her bed and the sight sent an electrical jolt of fear surging through his body. Scarlet blossoms stained her glow-in-the-dark blankets from where there appeared to be a struggle.

_Maybe…no, that can't be_. Toby crumbled to his knees with stalactites of spittle draping the floor next to the drops of blood…his daughter's blood.

_Fear. Hate. Regret. Remorse. Sorrow._

Emotions barraged Toby relentlessly, battering him brutally like the crack of a whip over and over until his skin was gone, cutting down to his ribs. He couldn't take it anymore, not like this. Not again. Writhing on the ground, Toby looked under the bed seeing something that would break him, should break him. A small orange faceplate with illuminated electronic lights blinked to him; staring Toby in the face like the Grim Reaper. _They took off her mask. But…no. _His arms slowly reached under the bed grabbing the last bit of what was left of his daughter. The faceplate fit in the palm of his hand; the thing that protected the beauty of her precious face was so small. Carefully, he put it back under her bed not wanting to look at it. A red streak of blood was smeared on his hands from pressing an open palm into a drop accidentally. He stood up, grabbed a paper towel from her desk and cleaned off his hand stuffing the gore stained towel in his pocket.

"Toby." Nashira's footsteps came closer to Gia's bedroom. It was better for her not to see this. He quickly stood up, wiped his face and mouth off and closed the door behind him, using it as a shield of ignorance, blocking the bitter sight. "Toby, what?" Her voice cracked, fearing the worst.

"They took her Nash. One of them made it out of the building with our Gia," he squeaked as the lump in his throat constricted his voice to a mere raspy whisper. Nashira's brilliant eyes turned to silver splinters pushing more tears from their threshold.

"Nash, listen to me baby. We have to get out of here now; more will be on the way." She fell into his chest with both hands covering her face, weeping into their embrace. Toby grabbed her from behind, giving her the most sincere and protective hug of his life to comforting her. "Grab a pack Nash and get my gun on the floor," he whispered.

"My baby," she whimpered in dismay.

"We _will_ get her back. Now we have to move." Toby gingerly pushed her away, keeping back his emotions that plucked at his heart cords and acted as a strong figure. Slowly, he grabbed the pistol from Nash. Toby quickly swept the living room, double checking the men he shot. All were dead from his fatal shots, now drowning in a marsh of blood and meat.

His bullet resistant vest was hiding in a corner of his office. The light carbon nano-fiber and silk vest fit under his t-shirt like nothing was there, protecting him from velocities up to five kilometers a second, like slugs fired from a handgun. A bug-out-bag was in the shallow closet next to his desk filled with things like cash, an extra pistol, two sets of clothes, flashlight, and other assorted items. A lock was keeping the zipper to the pack from not being opened as there was a gun in here. Gia was always very curious and the lock was for her safety. Damn, just thinking about their little girl made him seethe. Remembering Gia, his hand rifled his pocket, plucking out the paper towel and stuffed it in a drawer above his desk. Needing to act quickly, Toby grabbed his pack and ran to Gia's bedroom, grabbed her mask and stuffed it in his pack, shutting the door behind him.

"Nash, we need to leave." Her fragile frame stood at the doorway holding onto the door frame. Her thumb was slipped under the backpack's strap with eyes closed. "Nash, hold onto my arm and keep your eyes closed as I lead you through the living room." She nodded holding out both her hands for him to grab. They navigated through the dead bodies towards the hallway where they could hear the hushed voices of their neighbors.

"Mr. Heiko!" Rachel stood at the doorway in her pajamas awestruck at the death that riddled their apartment.

"Rachel, you didn't see me or talk to me now get back into your apartment now," he ordered her sternly.

"Where…where is Gia?"

"They took her Rachel, now get back inside and don't trust anyone that comes to your door, do you understand me?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay, now listen to me please." Rachel backed out of her doorway and walked back into her home. "Rache, do not trust anyone… please."

"Okay Mr. Heiko."

A phone rang, waking Kieran out of his sleep like a bucket of cold water cascading into his face. _This is what I get for being Executor, goddamn phone calls in the middle of the night all the time. _Kieran reached an arm over to his bedside table grabbing the plastic handle of the phone.

"Hello?" The voice on the other line crackled through, feeding him the news. Kieran rubbed his face keeping his nerves down. The only way to describe what the voice gave to him was a mess. Throwing off the blankets, he sat on the edge of the bed listening to the smoker's voice intently. "Are you telling me he killed them all?" The voice on the other line responded. "Okay, let me take care of this Komani." Before putting the phone back in its cradle, he stared at it momentarily. "Shit." Hanging it up, he really didn't want to do what had to be done. The cold floor prickled at his feet as he walked across his expansive bedroom to the shower. Although he knew the floor was colder, his feet were becoming more and more numb. The time was getting closer. Light shined through the slats of the blinds making a striking pattern across his marble floor. Ambient light hidden in the crown molding turned brighter sensing his movement as he walked by. Kieran threw off his silk robe, spun the dial on the shower to pour scolding water on him getting ready for his meeting with a very powerful man. Presenting himself in a clean manner is for the best, for the massive favor he was going to ask couldn't be turned down.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Pira desperately typed into her computer trying to get a lock onto Heiko's signal after it was jammed.

_Damn it, Vikar found out_.

Although she had no proof it was him, the list of people who typed that sentence in was short. If it was Komani, that was if Toby's hunch was right, she would have been in deep trouble already. She scanned the room, checking for anyone that might have noticed something, but everyone was still gazing into their monitors brain-dead.

_Come on Toby, pick up the damn line! _

A green light winked on the corner of her monitor indicating an incoming transmission from Toby. Pira sat in her chair quietly for a moment stunned and confused. The jamming must have stopped which meant one of two things.

"Toby," she whispered, pressing the green light. Noise from the Citadel poured through the channel like static which startled her, as she was on edge.

"Pira, it was Vikar. I killed six of them and they were trying to rape my wife, kill me, and they took Gia." Pira was stunned, placing a blue hand over her mouth and peered around the room noticing movement in Komani's office. The CSSR director stood up and closed the blinds to her office, concealing whatever was going on in the room. Pira tore her gaze from Komani's room to glare ferociously at her monitor.

"They took Gia? Is Nashira okay," Pira violently whispered.

"Yes and yes. This was an inside job I think, although it could have just been Vikar and his crew, I don't know yet. Pira, don't trust anyone, okay?" Commotion stirred on the far side of the dimly lit room as Komani stormed out of her office glaring at a data pad enraged. It seemed Toby was right, but Pira still had no concrete proof. She had to let Toby know what was stirring up at the office.

"Toby, I think they just found out what happened. There is about to be a shit storm on our hands." All the dispatchers looked away from the monitors peeking at Komani who was hissing in sharp whispers at two other high ranking turians.

"Are you on an encrypted channel," Toby asked.

Pira looked away from Komani and shoved a piece of gum in her mouth. "Yeah I am."

"Okay, I need you to trust me on this Pira, I need someone on the inside to help me get through this."

Toby pulled the frayed baseball cap tightly over his head still holding onto Nashira's hand tightly while charging through their neighborhood. It was as if they were walking through a dream, everything felt so surreal, hazy; this was anything but a dream, it was a nightmare.

_The nightmare with Rena dying, was it really a warning? What is going on?_

Sharp voices from sirens skipped down the street, snapping Toby out of his dream state and pushed him back into the more horrible reality.

"Toby, we should hide," Nashira suggested, talking for the first time since inside the apartment. Hearing her voice was calming and reassuring; it gave him a boost of energy. A camera panned to the right in an alcove above a café's advertisement, about to lay its glass eye on the fugitives.

"Yeah, follow me." Toby dragged Nashira under the camera's field of vision, pulling her into a small café flooded with humans. The coffee's bitter, aromatic breath saturated the small shop, blasting Toby in the face as they sat at a small table. The aroma, while usually comforting, was utterly revolting. Smelling this scent felt like an icy hand plunging its finger into his brain and trying to dig out an infected cyst. He had to block it out as horrible as it was.

The interior of the quaint shop was primarily built from a frosted white acrylic, giving the café a contemporary appearance. Bustling crowds of people sat at tables, drank the hot black liquid which was now booming on the Citadel, and read the daily news scripted inside the tables, acting like a holoscreen. Toby pulled the cap lower on his head and slid deeper into the ice cream scoop shaped chairs. "Nashira, they are going to be chasing me. I, well…you killed one of the most respected officers in C-Sec and I took out a bunch of Special Response personnel." He sighed frustrated. "I worked with those damn bastards."

His feelings for revenge and irritation had to be kept at bay, for they were rapping against his mental threshold. For years, he had colleagues that wanted to kill him and his family. The emotions and bitter rivalry were apparent, but he never completely understood the sheer hate aimed towards him. This whole operation felt intimate, like someone out for not only revenge, but for utter embarrassment against their adversary, which was him and his family. It took him a moment before he said anything. His mind was running unleashed.

Finally, Toby said, "I don't know how long we are going to last being free." He checked his watch, and then went to tapping his fingers on the table nervously. Nashira's hand slipped into his trying to calm him down, her eyes like those of a doe's glowing in a full winter moon.

"Are we going to get Gia back?"

Gia. The name itself threatened to tear him apart.

"We? No Nash, I need you to stay out of this…" Nashira's tool turning grip crushed his hand which got his attention.

"I am coming with you Toby Heiko," she whispered sternly. He thought over his options realizing he can only count the number of allies on one hand; he changed his mind almost immediately. They were both suck in this mess.

"Okay, you are coming with me." More sirens whined by the bustling café and down the street towards their house. "Here is our radio channel Nash." She looked at the frequency on his omni-tool typing it into hers. Toby noticed her hands. They pitifully shook, causing her slender fingers to miss the numbers.

"I… I don't-"

"Nashira, it's going to be okay." Toby reassured her, but couldn't believe his own words that spilled from his mouth. "Together, we _will _get through this." Slowly, he grabbed Nashira's hands and balled them up. Her head tilted towards Toby's with both eyes closed and nothing to say. She quickly nodded. "I promise dear."

"Okay," she burbled.

"Pira, are you there?"

"Right here Toby, Komani is keeping this quiet for some reason. It looks like she is arguing with someone on the phone."

"Okay, when it comes time to worry about that, then we will worry about it, but right now I need you to get in touch with someone."

"Who do you need me to get?"

"Brian Hilliard."

Executor Kieran stood in an elevator, heading to his destination. The window yielded the best view of the city. The panes of glass that scaled the Presidium Tower were a well worth investment. Five arms reached forty-seven kilometers into the Serpent Nebula, carving into the belly of the nebula's ambiguous form that stretched light-years in all directions. The scale of the universe was overwhelming.

"Light-years," he whispered. Just trying to fathom the sheer scale was impossible; the thought drove people mad. Kieran was wearing his finest suit, which he nervously smoothed the creases with his fingers as the elevator came to a seamless stop. Elevator doors quietly opened with only a refined hydraulic moan. Cool air blitzed into the hot elevator which gushed from the fountain that sprouted water into the air, churning the placid pond below. Pink petals from the cherry trees that lined the metallic walkway spun in the turbulent water of the pond like the emotions in Kieran's stomach. Armed guards saluted Kieran as he passed, heading up the stairs to the private office of a very powerful man. Keeper's clicked at their terminals paying no attention to him as he passed and approached two armed turian guards. Their blue armor slopped, ending in sharp folds and crevasses which could content with a knife.

"I need to speak with Counselor Velarn," he told them confidently, grabbing his shaking fist from behind. The guard to the right whispered into his ear piece then nodded his armored head.

"He is waiting for you Executor." The door the guards were watching opened and Kieran stepped inside. His silk suit felt heavier than it should be. Creases were nonexistent on his expensive attire, but he felt the urge to double check his appearance. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he recited his lines over and over. Using the Counselor as a backup when plan A failed was utterly embarrassing. The chafing failures executed from people below him were beginning to wear thin on his patience. One can't dance on thin ice forever; eventually they are going to fall through. That is what Vikar has done, and falling through the ice actually killed him.

This was it.

The elevator chimed and opened to a lavish office. Beautiful plants burgeoned from metallic pots built into the office which blossomed colorful reds and blues. Brushed aluminum walls were burdened with pictures of the Citadel and of Pavlen, the turian home world. A massive holographic screen was playing live news and Counselor Velarn lounged in a chair, staring at the news with the volume low.

"Executor Kieran, you are here."

Kieran cleared his throat, "Yes sir, I am. Your plants are magnificent," Kieran complimented trying to strike an easy conversation. Velarn stood out of his chair and confidently walked towards the measly Executor. Kieran extended a hand but the Counselor ignored it and lifted a flower bud instead.

"My asari colleague said they would lighten up my mood."

"They are quite striking Counselor," Kieran complimented once again.

"I hate them."

Velarn dropped the bud leaving Kieran speechless, searching for words to recover from his idiotic mistake. "Now, why are you here Executor?"

Kieran recovered and said, "Right, one of our Citadel Security Special Response personnel, Toby Heiko, has murdered six of our best operatives including Captain Vikar and has gone rogue," he half lied all in one breath.

"Toby Heiko…the name sounds familiar."

"Yes sir, he was the human who lead two teams into the turian embassy yesterday, successfully killing all the batarian terrorists."

"Ah yes, 'the hero'. So tell me Executor, this 'hero', is he a threat?"

Kieran cleared his throat one more time, "Yes, he is former N7."

"And he was also on the dossier as a Spectre nominee along with Vincent Cugasi. Is that why you set him up Executor?" Kieran's hands began to shake.

"Set him up? Sir…I..."

"I approve of this set up Executor; humans are not ready for this. You saw what happened to David Anderson five years back and look at how that ended up." Kieran released a breath of air as if he was holding it the whole time. "What do you need?" The Executor knew exactly what he wanted, rather what he needed. Heiko is a very dangerous threat. He single handedly killed six CSSR operatives and escaped from his apartment without being detected. Along with N7 training, he was in the Alliance Marines with a book full of operations, medals, and military recommendations. Kieran needed the best of the best to fight Heiko and there is only one who could take Heiko down.

"Sir, I need a Spectre."

Skave's eyes shot open and found himself staring at the flaking paint that crusted the ceiling of his filth tainted hotel room. Sticky blankets with an adhesive film snapped against his clothes as he pulled them off his powerful body, now regenerated body. Hearing the communication device vibrate against the glass top of his coffee table in the other room startled him out of his recovery and meditation. Leaping out of his bed, he tore open the door which led into the small living room. His eyes sparkled with excitement when he saw who was calling him. Skave frantically fumbled with the phone, finally picking it up.

"Yes Counselor Velarn?"

_What could he possibly be calling me for? Is it another operation already or something else?_

Skave has been in the Spectres branch for five years, following in his brother's footsteps that are too big to fill. After serving in the turian military, he caught the Council's attention from his impressive field record and service with being in the turian counter-terrorist branch. His hatred for humans began with the First Contact War and flourished from there. Skave listened to his own heavy breathing waiting for instruction.

"Skave, I have a new assignment for you and it is close by." Skave clasped the phone with both hands listening to Velarn closer.

"Where do I need to go?"

"You don't need to go anywhere Skave, your assignment is simple. There is a human here on the Citadel by the name of Toby E. Heiko. This _human _has killed six CSSR operatives including the distinguished Captain Vikar." Skave's mandibles flared and anger seeped into his veins. He has heard of the name "Vikar" through the Vids. All he knew of him was that he reached the rank of Captain early, was skilled in counter-terrorism, and had a colorful military and C-Sec history. All of that didn't matter, what did matter is that a human killed one of his kind.

Velarn continued, "I need you to either kill him or bring him in. I am sending files on Heiko and on your assignment to your terminal and Skave, he is dangerous."

"Yes sir, I will complete this task. Do I have any leads?"

"All information is in the documents I sent you." Skave heard Velarn hang up, leaving his head buzzing with questions and curiosity. He sat in the disgusting plastic chair and opened his computer on the coffee table. A green light blinked impatiently in the corner of his screen. Opening it, a face stared back at him. Skave leaned forward, soaking in Toby E. Heiko's features. His skin was dark, had chiseled features, cleft chin, almond eyes, black hair, and black eyes that swam with intelligence and sanity. Odd this human snapped, killing all these C-Sec guards in one fell swoop, it all didn't make much sense, but then again, Skave knew he wasn't much of a psychologist or understood the motives of humans. Skave opened the file going more in depth. Toby Ethan Heiko, born in Philadelphia on April 23, 2132, joined the Alliance at the age of twenty one, served on Shanxi during the attack, caught the attention of N7 and graduated from them in 2159, serving with them until he met his fiancée and joined C-Sec in 2163. Now this part of his file is what caught the turian's attention. Skave leaned back in his chair, reading the details of the brutal murder of his fiancée, Rena Ishiar; no suspects found and no evidence.

"Rena Ishar was pregnant when murdered."

Skave smiled wickedly, opening pictures of the crime, wanting to see what happened. They were indeed shocking images. The human's face was barely recognizable, relating in appearance more to a bloody clod of mucus than anything else. Her black hair was caked in glistening blood which reflected the stark light used to take the image. Rena's body was contorted wickedly, like a branch from an old leafless tree. Closing the detailed images, his eyebrow raised with curiosity then broadened in disgust. It appears Toby Ethan Heiko married a quarian by the name of Nashira'Leah vas Shaan, now going by the name of Nashira Heiko. Skave had familiarized himself with the human culture to better understand them when he had assignments to hunt them down. Why would the quarian want to use the human way of naming? Doesn't she think humans are pathetic? The idea was hard for Skave to wrap his head around even though he hated both races, especially the quarians. Being a nomadic race was utterly embarrassing; living with that kind of reputation would drive him insane.

Skave's heart skipped in excitement seeing that Nashira had a child who was birthed on the Migrant Fleet and raised on the Citadel. Gia'Heiko nar Shaal; a seven year old quarian stared at Skave, bouncing slightly in the holographic image. He wanted to crush her small skull with his bare hands and grind her pathetic, flimsy body into the earth. He knew most people would look at her and think that she was adorable. Small hands, petite shoulders, and snappy head were all a sign of weakness. Skave just wanted to snap her like a dry twig. Then it hit him. Toby's family is Toby's weakness. Skave grinned when opening the picture of his target again. Physically, Heiko was fit, strong, healthy, and confident; there were no weaknesses there. The Spectre wanted to get in his mind and attack it. As good as he was at fighting, he was better at getting in the opponents head like a festering disease which would rot his target from the inside. He was smart, adaptive, and thinks out of the box, making him an excellent predator. Fighting Heiko might not give him the best chance at beating him, but using his loved ones as leverage against him…this was a whole other story. There was another assignment though; this one was his primary objective.

_Two assignments at once, the Voice is trusting me. _

He opened it and read the one lined objective. Standing up, Skave paced in the dark room and rubbed his hands together maliciously. That single sentence burned into his retina and seeped deep into his brain. Slivers of lights cut into the room through the blinds illuminating the depressing room to a sickly yellow glow. Opening the blinds, Skave stood at the window gazing at the city with excitement rising into his chest. He had a worthy pray to hunt down and couldn't wait. He knew C-Sec was going to pick up on Heiko in some way or another; it was just a matter of time. Skave sat back down in his chair, grabbed his headset, which was his map to Heiko, and began to listen.

"Toby Heiko, let the hunt begin."

Nashira clasped onto Toby's hand as he dragged her through the city. He clearly noticed her body language; she was devastated. _If I showed her what haunted Gia's bedroom, I don't think she would have wanted to go anywhere. She still has hope. _

"Toby, wait." He turned around to Nashira who was plastered to the ground and staring at a large holographic television designed for the public. A small crowd of aliens gathered under it, sitting at benches and small tables eating and listening to the news. An excited asari voice was narrating the images on the screen.

"Earlier this morning, a Citadel Security Special Response sergeant by the name of Toby Heiko resisted arrest and brutally murdered six CSSR officers. He also killed his seven year old quarian daughter and kidnapped his thirty-seven year old quarian wife, Nashira Heiko." The reporter's voice triggered beastly rage in the pit of his stomach when they put Gia's image on the TV, an image he had framed in his house which sat on his sink. Nashira was quiet, listening to the reporter talk, watching the images of their apartment flash on screen. "Toby Heiko is believed to be armed and dangerous." His face came up on the screen and again, it was an image of Nashira leaning into his chest with the Citadel in the background that once stood on the desk of his apartment.

Nashira whispered fiercely, "Toby, those pictures."

"Are from our house Nash, I know. They are trying to purposely get in my head."

"Why would they do something so wicked to us?"

"Because they know I am watching this."

Nashira sighed then asked another question, "Why are they telling us that you killed Gia, is this some sort of physiological warfare they are playing on you?"

"Yeah, that is exactly right. Also, people don't take kindly to people who murder children."

"Gia is okay, right?" Toby fought back the resilient urge to tell her the truth. Seeing Gia's blood on the floor and soaked into the mattress was something no father wanted to see. Those images were like a thorn in his brain, constantly pressing into his subconscious. Lying about this was the right thing to do.

"With Vikar dead, no one is going to kill a child in cold blood Nash. Well they got one thing right in that report." Nashira turned her head confused.

"What?"

"I am armed and dangerous."

Several people got up from their tables and ran down the metallic streets of the Citadel as if they were being pursued. Sensing what they were running from, Toby grabbed Nashira's arm and casually walked away. They might not have been running from Toby. Maybe they were late for something; either way, they needed to leave. Even though he was wearing a hat and jacket, the picture of him that was on screen was unidentifiable with his present state. His face was gaunt, eyes were cranberry red, and his movements were sluggish.

"What is it Toby? Did someone see us?"

"Not sure, but we shouldn't be standing in one place for too long. We need to get out of this market and into the underground streets." Walking a few hundred meters, they hit the subterranean market. Shops lined the inside of this sharply designed market. Glass panels that made up the ceiling, and reversely used as a walkway for the people above, let in Widow's softened light. Echoes bounced around the encased tunnel like the memories he had of this place years ago. Known as The Root Markets, these subterranean markets were sprawled throughout the underground world of the Citadel which spanned hundreds of kilometers like roots, hence the name. They held stores as diverse as cookie shops, drug stores, tech shops, cheap food stands, etc. Toby was familiar with these tunnels after spending most of his early morning shifts down here as an Enforcement Officer before being promoted to CSSR. This is where he found his passion for exploring the Citadel for good food and made the decision to write a book that found the tastiest places to eat on the Citadel. After some research on the subject, he found that all the books that were similar to his idea were published decades ago and some even hundreds of years before that. People seemed to have other things in mind when writing, so Toby seized the opportunity to write a book about it. As humans began to fill the Citadel, he knew it was a good idea to get a book out, because humans would support it and use it. All these thoughts made him feel sick with despair though. All of the work he has done over the past couple of years vanished in the blink of an eye. Everything he had was now gone; _everything _had beentorn from him.

"So the plan is to meet Brian at some gentleman's club and figure out what to do from there, right?" Toby peered over at Nashira, sensing her next question.

"That is the plan if we don't get caught."

"Toby, why are we meeting at a gentleman's club?" There was the question he predicted to come out.

"It is in a really bad part of town and that might be the last place they will be looking for me… I swear." She snorted finding the last two words amusing. That laugh gave Toby hope, pushing his morale more than it should have, but then again, anything which isn't so damn depressing at the moment can lift the curtains of distress to let hope shine through. The Roots began getting skuzzy and dirtier with less and less humans appearing in the crowds. In the early mornings, like now, the crowd was always filled with drug dealers and prostitutes. Nashira's grip tightened on Toby's hand as more and more filthy people began showing up. Trash collected in the corners of the street, cigarette buds scattered the wide walkway like leaves on an autumn lawn, and black gum dotted the streets. The glass ceilings disappeared from above their heads and were replaced with dilapidated tiles, low hanging knotted wires which combed the street, collecting plastic bags with their teeth, and the hallways began getting claustrophobic with trashcans constricting the path. Half naked asari were advertising their bodies, running black, dirty hands up their thighs seductively to Toby, Nashira, and all other passing by possible customers. Scarlet light twirled from holographic posters featuring nude characters trying to draw in crowds of hungry customers into these "disease spreading" entertainment houses.

"I never knew places this vulgar existed on the Citadel Toby," Nashira hissed, avoiding a prostitute's pestering taunts.

"This is where all the action is at this time of day. Brian and I always patrolled back here and that is why I went straight to the shower whenever I came home," he said filling her in.

"Are we getting close to the rendezvous point?"

"Yeah, it is coming up soon. I am just warning you Nash, it is pretty sleazy."

"I am a big girl, I can handle myself."

"Okay, if you say so Nash." The Roots hallway widened like the gaping maw of a delta. A massive sign advertised The Glass House, which was their meeting point. Before them stood a three story cube about fifty meters in width in a subterranean cavern. The whole thing was over the top, a sensory overload. Rave music pounded from submerged speakers and subwoofers camouflaged into the ground creating a bizarre, bone vibrating sensation. Cubes of glass lined the wall of The Glass House containing exotic dancers like boxes in a chest of drawers.

"This place is um… I don't know."

"Come on Nash, we need to go and meet with Brian." Crowds of aliens swarmed at the entrance like ants congregating around a drop of saccharine elixir. Krogan bouncers stood sentry at the doorway who scanned the crowd checking for anomalies. Toby pulled his cap lower to conceal his face. Surely, the krogans haven't seen the latest news on the Vids, so getting in undetected shouldn't be a big problem. Navigating through the flotilla of people, Nashira held tightly onto his hand. They entered The Glass House and just glancing around yielded visceral images. Lights violently pulsed, refracting off the glass surfaces making an incredible and effective fun house effect.

"There is a small table over there in the corner," Toby shouted to Nashira pointing. He looked around the bustling armada of aliens, searching for anyone or anything that stood out. There were so many of them that he and his wife were able to blend into the crowd perfectly. Asari clutched onto hot sticky poles on top of the bar in the center of the House swaying, taking advantage of their voluptuous frame to draw in crowds of people. Dozens of cubes held more dancers which were built into the walls, stealing everyone's gaze to ogle over the truly sinful sight. Water cascaded down the center bar which caught the silver light that as being emanated by strobes, making a tinseled effect. Sitting here with Nashira felt awkward, really awkward, but she was too busy goggling over the foreign atmosphere. Their table shook and vibrated from the continuous cacophony of the unrelenting exotic score. The glass ashtray on their table tray buzzed slightly, moving towards the edge of the table after each thunderous drum that shook his bones and threatened to deafen him. Being inside this place only once when he had to chase a drug dealer years ago, he still found it as exotic as the first time. Even the floor, which consisted of twelve inch by twelve inch square panels were screens playing explicit images that even had Toby turning away.

"When is he going to be here," Nashira asked, easily keeping her focus on Toby's face, not wanting to look around anymore.

"Soon."

Toby checked his watch noticing Brian should be meeting him in three more minutes. His thoughts wandered back to Gia's bedroom, where his daughter's blood painted the floor and stained her soft linens which he remembers picking out for her. It was a surprise gift for Gia he recalls. After going out to a movie with Nashira, they went out together to buy new bed sheets for her. A glow in the dark comforter that sat on one of the many shelves with space ships knitted into the fabric. It was perfect for her. A bulb of hate and sorrow expanded in his throat just thinking about her. How they took or even killed her from right under his nose while they held down Nashira was such a monstrous act. Being helpless to that kind of situation made him shake with a primal rage only one can experience when someone attacks the thing you love the most and have a subconscious mission to protect it with your life. For all Toby knew, she could be dead. God there was so much blood. Everywhere, it scraped the floor, saturated the bed and seeped deep into her mattress. For children, beds were supposed to be a safe haven, a threshold were evil wasn't supposed to pass. These monsters violated that rule and harmed her, peeling open her suit like a can of soup, spilling her blood without remorse or respect. She didn't have long…if she was even alive.

"Toby, where do you think Gia is?" The question hit him in the face, evoking more emotion that what it should have.

"They are probably holding her safe somewhere Nash." He grabbed her hands from under the table reassuring her, holding back a wicked lie that would only break her; one that would shroud her in a realm of confusion and darkness. "It is going to be okay." He tried his hardest to not make that a lie but deep inside, he knew it was.

Toby's sixth sense was suddenly bludgeoned with danger, a certain pressure in the room changed and felt wrong. Something hurdled towards him from behind, no, from the side…_everywhere_. It had strength and power, making the already heavy air thicker like syrup sweetened with death. He went frigid and glanced around the room cautiously not to draw attention to himself, scanning for this…_thing _that was looking, no, not looking, but hunting him. Everything went dark, black so thick it was like a bag was pulled over his head. Blinking, lightning bugs stretched their wings and took flight from the corners of his vision as if they were playing a game of gauntlet. Nashira yelped, nervously squeezing his hand when white strobe lights began oscillating which mimicked his heart beat. The cluster of aliens and humans alike screamed as the music fluctuated and rose to a new height of absurdity. The beat paralyzed Toby with its insane hammering, the sound penetrated every vein in his body making his fear so concentrated he could taste its bitter breath oozing from under his tongue.

"Nash, they just changed the music, that is it," he yelled, but the music drowned out his voice like screaming into a pillow. He quivered at this new form of detachment and his hand tightly grabbed Nashira's wrist, pulling her right next to him. Whatever was hunting him moved closer like a shark prowling in black water. It could smell his fear. The monster professionally navigated through the crowd, snaking its way through the assemblage orgy of people hunting its unsuspected pray. All five of his senses sharpened exponentially, every bead of sweat was like ice on his skin, cutting through his flesh like a blade. He could smell liquor off the breath of people standing twenty feet away. His eyes twitched, noticing every bulging object the size of a weapon protruding out of dozens of people's pockets and listened to the wet squeak of a slippery metallic pole slither through the dancers' hands. The strobes threw frisbees of light over the crowd of people which splashed into their faces, revealing their happy grins summoned by drugs and hallucinogenic substances that coursed through their veins. But the Hunter still hunted, avoiding Toby's piercing gaze, hidden somewhere and waiting for its chance to strike. Too afraid to stand up, he sat there in a state of paralysis, choked by fear, unable to move. The energy in the room snapped like bolts of electricity as it was about to makes its move.

Suddenly, a hot fist struck him in the upper chest which tossed him out of his chair and he dragged Nashira to the floor with him. Heat blistered his skin from the point of impact. He struggled to breathe, trying to suck in like a fish out of water. He needed to catch his breath now. The Hunter was moving. He could feel it cautiously advancing; it sucked the air from his lungs with its presence like an unknown beast from a nightmare.

"Toby!"

He looked up at Nashira, her face was riddled with panic and her hands shook not knowing what to do with them. His grip was like a hydraulic press on her wrist, he wasn't going to let go of her. Each breath of air came like fire in his throat. The flame evaporated all the saliva and punched his lungs like a boxer going for a knockout in the last round. The Hunter had shot him, the explosion from the gun transformed into a subtle cough which was cushioned by the blaring music. On his face trying to shake himself from this momentary stupor, he saw a large frame emerge from the crowd like a bulbous cloud charging into the fray that emerged from a storm front prematurely who wanted to ravage its wounded pray. Toby's handgun tickled his ribcage wanting to be used, wanting to take down this Hunter. In slow motion, the Hunter raised his pistol, leveling the firearm to Toby's face from several meters away. The Hunter sucked the light from the room, consuming it within its void like a black hole. Not even light could escape its presence. There was no time to react, he was looking death in the face and instead of feeling a warm honeyed glow that people describe sweet death to be, he felt fear, rage, and hate. There was a loud pop and a blinding white light.

_There I go, my life gone._

But horrifyingly enough, he was still laying face down on the filthy floor of The Glass House with screams now overwhelming the heavy fusion of music. Adrenaline blitzed into his veins realizing it wasn't over. Opening his eyes, he ripped Nashira behind him and screamed to her to hold onto his jacket or belt. Toby slipped the pistol from under his left arm, pointing it at where the Hunter once stood.

Nothing.

Lights from the entrance danced around The Glass House as a team of CSSR breached the gentleman's club. They were looking for Toby. They recited their chants, screaming at everyone to get down. A phalanx of black armored bulls charged into the ring after their flash bangs went off and aimed their flashlights at every human male's face, searching for their intended target.

"Nash, hold on tight and whatever happens to me just run!" Her three fingers slipped under his belt and held on tight as he surged ahead scanning the crowd with his pistol. They joined the vicious stampede of people who charged out a back door attempting to escape the pursuers. The dancers hugged the poles with their ankles attached to a chain which kept them from being pulled into the crowd when things got to out of control. Toby felt several bodies cushion his footfalls as they charged out of the building. Panic spread through the crowd like a contagious virus which clawed its way into their thoughts. Exiting through the back door, Toby still felt Nashira holding tightly onto his belt, but what felt like a brick wall slammed into his side, throwing him to the ground. Nashira screamed as her hands slipped out of reach from Toby. He looked up seeing a familiar face staring back at him.

"Bosner, get the hell off me!"

"Toby, make this easy on yourself and give up man!" Bosner's hand was reaching to a taser magnetically clipped on his belt. Bosner was bigger than Toby, so it was hard to move and take the taser from him. The CSSR operative was lying on top of Toby's pistol which was pointing at his friend's pelvis, all it took was the pull of the trigger to get this weight off him.

"Get off me, I don't want to hurt you!"

"Get off him you bosh'tet!" Nashira started hitting Bosner on the back of his head with her pack. The operative's powerful hand grabbed Nashira's arm and threw her to the ground, ending in a hard clap. This enraged Toby, no one touches her like that. How dare him! With his free hand, he started choking Bosner. Flecks of wet spittle twirled out of his mouth and peppered Toby in the face.

"I didn't do anything Bosner, you know better than that!"

"You killed your daughter Heiko!"

"No, Vikar took her you fucking idiot!" All of a sudden, Bosner rolled off of Toby with another man on top of him.

"Toby, there is a service entrance to the Keeper tunnels down that alleyway and off to the right," Brian screamed while holding Bosner down and grabbed his taser. "Run there right now, I will be right behind you!" Toby scrambled to his feet and picked up Nashira, quickly checking her body for damage. "Run!" He nodded his head, looking around for the alleyway. There were three branching streets where The Glass House's clients were corralling, and then there was a skinny pathway glowing with red light. That had to be it.

"Follow me Nash!"

"Right behind you," she yelled, her voice cracking in fear. They melted into the fleeing group of people who ran towards their escape. Toby's heart climbed into his throat and decided to drum in his ears as they ran into the hallway. A green metal door stood open, pulling trash away and accumulating on the opposite side. Yellow light permeated its homey glow into the dark hallway; it was a relieving color. Toby tore open the door to let Nashira enter first then turned around checking his back. A large human sprinted towards them followed by no one else. The Hunter was nowhere in sight, its negative energy dissipating in the epidemic of panic.

"Brian, hurry!"

Brian exploded into the doorway and shut the hollowed steel door behind him. "Nashira, are you okay?" Toby spun around and she pounced on him, wrapping her legs around his waist giving him a hug like she hasn't seen him in years.

"I thought I was going to lose you Toby." She pulled away staring into his face, her eyes sparkling like jewelry in the sun. Adrenaline loosened its grip on his bloodstream, leaving him in a state of withdrawal. His legs shook and his muscles were like jelly. Nashira jumped off him to rip open his jacket. A small ragged hole winked at her in his shirt. "I heard the bullet hit you even over the music Toby. Keelah I will never forget that sound." If he wasn't wearing his bullet resistant vest, he would be dead. The wound throbbed and heat up from the blood swirling around his tenderized flesh. His throat was raw from screaming and from losing his breath; he needed something to drink now.

"Wait Toby, they shot you?" He looked towards Brian who was wearing full combat gear.

"Something was in the crowd other than C-Sec. It was trying to kill me. Brian, why are you wearing combat gear? Were you part of the group that breached," Toby asked, looking his friend in the eye.

"Yeah, I was tasked with taking you down Toby. I thought it was better to break cover when the shit hit the fan, you know, take them by surprise."

"What did they say about us Brian," Nashira asked, putting two hands on her hips.

"They told us you killed six Special Response operatives including Vikar, murdered Gia, kidnapped you Nash, and are at large, armed and dangerous. We are supposed to take you in." Brian stared at them. "Well you took that rather well," Brian quipped, expecting more of an emotional response.

"We already saw the reports on the Vids Brian," Toby fired back

"Right."

Toby spun around, staring at the steep stairs that descended into the labyrinth below.

"So what are we doing down here?"

"Well they tracked you by using the device in your back Toby and they can't track us in these tunnels here because the Keepers use this as their way of travel."

What Brian said let loose a wave of embarrassment. He completely forgot about the tracking and monitoring device in his back, that is how they found him. Feeling like an idiot, his face warmed with heat until Nashira broke the momentary silence.

"These tunnels are lined with an unknown synthetic that is denser than lead so it would be impossible to track us under here," Nashira informed them, using her knowledge of the Citadel from being a cheap form a fixer-upper. "I am familiar with these tunnels." She descended down the steep flight of stairs, reaching a hallway that spread out hundreds of meters in each direction. Cords were bundled up with hundreds of zip ties keeping the array of wires from becoming a tangled mess. A yellow arrow was painted on the wall pointing towards the left and a green arrow pointing to the right. "The yellow arrow is aimed towards the Presidium and the green is towards the tip of this Ward arm." Brian dropped his carbine, letting his three-point-sling grab it before it clattered to the floor.

"Where is Gia Toby," Brian asked nervously.

"They took her when they raided our apartment."

"So, what is our plan now," Brian asked knowing he didn't want to dwell on that subject.

"We aren't going anywhere until I get some answers Toby," Nashira butted in. "Who was that in the crowd Toby, the turian that shot you?" The wound on his chest throbbed and hurt like hell. He lightly touched it but an excruciating dull burn caught fire and spread its flames around his body, nearly knocking his breath out again.

"It wasn't C-Sec that is for sure."

"It?"

Toby looked at Nashira and pushed her on the back gingerly.

"We need to move, I think that is the smartest decision we can make right now."

"What happened back there Toby, it looked like you sensed 'it' coming after us."

"You know how my sixth sense is hyperactive, right?"

"Yeah?"

"I guess that is how I saw it, or felt it. It had a negative energy to it that seemed so familiar." Toby's imagination ran wild for a moment. He sensed this presence in his nightmares before; it almost seemed like the same terrifying monster that revisits him every once in a while. They way it hunted him, and then lashed out violently from the shadows. It was all very familiar. "Whatever it was, it was professional. Taking a shot from a crowd like that with strobe lights, the dark, and pulling the trigger without question or remorse is a hard thing to do. I tell you what, I wouldn't be able to do it. This _thing _is something on a totally different level. Did you notice how it disappeared, melted into the crowd like an apparition after the Special Response team showed up? Whatever this thing is, it is a natural hunter, trained to do things like this."

"Do you think it is a mercenary," Nashira asked, slurring her words with the Middle Eastern accent.

"We have faced dozens of mercenaries and what Toby is describing doesn't sound like a merc." Their footsteps clattered off the polished metal pathway like water dripping in a desolate cave. Toby holstered his pistol and felt his collarbone shoot hot pain from the wound. He gasped from the sharp pain as his vision flashed white knocking his breath out again.

"Toby!"

He dropped to his knees, bottling a cough for the fear of acute pain rippling through his shoulder again.

"I broke my collarbone guys," he wheezed.

"We need to get medical attention."

"No Nashira, we can't."

"What about Rachel?"

"We can't put her in harm's way." Nashira recoiled thinking about what she said.

"You are right."

"Brian, the tracking device in my body, is there anyway Pira can block it by hacking?" Brian ran a large hand over his stubble.

"I asked her when she called letting me know what had happened. I asked about it but she told me they are keeping a close eye on you and there was no way." Toby grunted, going over his options while standing back on his feet. Realizing he had to do was something he wasn't looking forward to taking action on.

"Nashira, how far away is the University of Medical Science from here?" She powered on her omni-tool to open a map of the Keeper tunnels she had created over years of work.

"Three kilometers from here, why?"

"I need to get Rachel's help."

"But you just said…"

"I know, but I can't do what I need to do with us three."

"What do you need to do Toby," she asked nervously, already knowing his answer.

"I need to have her cut the device out of my back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Skave was furious. Seething was more like it, a torrid furnace of hate and failure boiled from inside. Shutting his eyes, Toby Heiko stared back at him; his fearless face was branded into his retina like a hot photograph.

_I had him, why didn't I just pull the trigger when I had the chance! You Skave are weak, you need to do better. _

His taxi hummed, whistling through the Presidium Ring towards its destination. A meeting with this one particular individual wouldn't suffice over a simple phone call; he had to meet him face to face to get his point across. The asari taxi driver up front hummed happily to herself steering with one hand. Skave could feel her annoying energy lingering in the air. She wanted to start small talk earlier, something only spoiled beings wished to participate in.

"So, you have an important date or something," the asari driver in the front seat asked turning around slightly. He winced at her stupid voice. The voice was happy, even sincerely cheerful. Why do people find talking to strangers such a satisfying action? He never understood, nor would he ever want to try and understand their incompetent motives. His body and soul was pure, too pure to even be in this driver's presence. He is in the elite class; everything that is below deserves to be exterminated. Even the cheap perfume vapors seeping off her supple blue neck bothered him. If she were part of the elite, and not a subspecies, she wouldn't even need to ware that revolting, greasy substance; it would only taint her flawless body.

Skave felt the sudden urge to hit her in the face as hard as he could with a closed fist, but that would lead to the taxi plummeting to the ground, engulfing him in a spheroid of hot flame. The idea of hurting someone pleased him though. A good way to release anger was to hurt another being. He liked that idea, yes he did. Hurting someone that is below him on the caste ladder, someone who resembled an animal would help purge the galaxy of flawed beings. Pushing his hand into her soft skull seemed to be the only medicine to his internal pain. Squeezing, pulling at her facial extremities with raw hungry force, breaking her bones by stomping as hard as he could, blinded by sheer frustration felt like the right thing to do. Instead, he put his hands together and peered out the window at the passing trees, glistening lakes, and grassy fields which were populated by couples eating picnics and businessmen taking a break before entering a stressful meeting. All of them were not important in the scheme of things. Skave was a cog, one that was turning the gears and twisting the fate of the universe.

After fanaticizing, he answered, "Yes, an important date seems about right."

The words which escaped his mouth were vindictive. They fouled the already stale air with hate.

"Kinda sounds like it's a bad one." Skave was losing his patience with this degenerate.

"How so?"

"You sound angry."

"Do I now," he asked leaning forward. This outcast, this stupid sack of meat talking to him didn't even deserve to be in his presence, he was too pure for her. He inhaled, smelling her cheap perfume. God did he just want to strike her in the face. "What would you do if I told you I kill people for a living?" The asari turned around, meeting his eyes momentarily and saw nothing but dark torrents of hate. She noticed how big he was for the first time, his fingers easily able to wrap around her neck to choke the life out of her. His face as statuesque as a metal sculpture, and there was a bulging object under his arm.

"I would believe it," she whimpered, failing to hold back her angst.

"Good, now drive and shut up."

_You were an accident, born from your mother's rancid womb_. _Your drunken father, rather a customer of your mother, conceived you after paying for her services. You are a spore from a galactic wide disease. _

He could hear her breathing get faster and faster, hear the blood pumping through each ventricle of her heart, and taste her candied fear. Chuckling, he leaned back in his seat and fantasized of more brutal ways to kill her. Drowning her, strangling her, skinning her face, oh yes, all these were good. Anger deep inside of him boiled over. All this anger wouldn't have been here if he took the damn shot at Heiko. That bullet would have ended the assignment for him except the C-Sec team barged in on him. This felt like a personal insult, someone taunting him, making a simple operation harder for no reason at all.

_Taunting._

_Taunting._

_Taunting. _

The thought of this _taunting _set him off, he needed a solution. Skave leaned forward in his seat as the taxi decelerated to a stop in front of the embassies. He waved his omni-tool over the holographic pay pad giving the taxi driver his _own_ money.

_She doesn't deserve this_.

_Must calm down. _

_No, use this channeled anger against your opponents._

_No, stay out of my head!_

_I am always in your head Skave._

_Don't say my name! Out! _

_But Skave, I am you._

_No you aren't! _

"I need to calm down," he whispered, closing his eyes and began to breathe heavily. This Invader that infiltrates his mind when rage was concentrated began to worry him. The Invader was a new problem for him; a foreign seed which had finally sprouted while being watered by his rage. Schizophrenia plaguing his mind was a real threat and it doesn't help when his destiny is to be the perfect Spectre. They are supposed to be mentally stable, think on their own, and make the right choices in split second decisions. With something compromising that, he felt unstable… like a freak. Believing he was perfect all his life was shattered when the Invader began whisper to him, countering his ideas. Staying calm was his only nourishment to this Invader. Depriving it of rage was its only defeat.

Skave rushed the stairs, climbing them three at a time, went through a door that hissed open as a motion detector found his body, and took an immediate left entering in the Executor's office without asking or knocking. The turian sitting behind the desk was a short, sickly man who looked up. His sick eyes were teeming with shock and confusion, but quickly pushed those exposed emotions to the side to become unreadable, like a blank page. Skave had nothing to work with.

"Executor Kieran I presume," he started, attacking the Executor more that asking. The weak turian pushed his seat back and groped at the arm rest to the comfortable chair as a crutch in attempt to stand up. "There is no need, I assure you," Skave reassured him. "Now please sit, I am Skave Arterius, the Spectre assigned to hunt down Sergeant Toby Heiko." Kieran was smaller than expected; he looked like a coward, a little boy plagued with a fever who yearned for his mother. The Vids made him look taller, more handsome. Instead, he was this dopy being. How he got this prodigious position was beyond Skave. His intelligence must be off the chart maybe? It wasn't his place to decide. This turian was not worth thinking about… at least not now.

"Ah yes, I asked for you earlier this morning. It looks like the Councilor got right on top of it," Kieran stated, sitting more comfortably in his chair.

"I shot this particular human today," Skave informed him, leaning forward to stare Kieran directly in the eye so intensely it would be insulting if the Executor looked away. Skave needed to make it apparent that he was the one who held more power, held the high ground in this conversation.

"Is he dead?"

Now was his time to make this Executor feel idiotic, countering every question with one of his own mistakes.

"He would have been."

"What do you mean?" His voice was laced worry. It sounded good.

"All I had to do was pull the trigger and your problem would have been smashed, but your Special Response team disrupted the kill by breaching into The Glass House this morning. They ruined my chance of killing him." Skave's voice was so calm and cold he knew it chilled Kieran to the bone. He was on the high ground and knew he was going to get what he was asking for.

"Oh, well I apologize."

The words that came out of the Executor's mouth were insulting, so snide and arrogant, Skave wanted to strike him to the ground and beat his head in with the sole of his boot until it cracked open like an egg. Suddenly, Skave stood up to slam two open palms on the Executor's desk making him recoil in fright as he sensed the power coming from the Spectre.

"Call all C-Sec officers working on this case to stand down. If you don't interrupt me again, Toby Heiko will be dead by tomorrow, is that understood," Skave finished, finally spotting the last of the security cameras in the room.

Now did Skave not even have the high ground, he had the Executor by the balls.

"I will make the call right now."

"Also, there was a quarian with him, Nashira Heiko I presume."

"That is right, she should be with him," Kieran smoothly passed to Skave.

"And there was one more, another human that was dressing in full gear." Kieran's face didn't reveal any sense of surprise with this information either. He did put on an excellent poker face.

"That is being taken care of as we speak Skave, anymore questions or statements?"

"This human is skilled, right? I would like to visit his apartment to gather more intelligence on him and his family." Skave knew all too well how Heiko was in N7 and until recently, held a respectable position in CSSR. This man knew how to kill. Skave was hunting a hunter which was such an enthralling game.

"You have free access to whatever you need."

The tunnel Toby, Brian, and Nashira were traveling through hummed with machinery and electronics. Stale, sickly yellow light the color of urine buzzed from old light bulbs hanging on the walls protected by only a wire cage. It seemed to go on forever, like looking at an infinite mirror effect. Several Keepers scurried down the tunnel and paid no attention to the trio walking past them; each was on a mission of their own. Toby's shoulder was hurting more now, the pain running through his muscles and spreading though his back. Even turning his head sent a sharp pain running down his spine as if he slept in a weird position for two straight days. He has been shot before but always had kinetic barriers to stop the bullet. The iota slugs fired from the firearms packed one hell of a punch. Even wearing a vest, the fabric stretches, pushing in around thirty or so millimeters into the occupants flesh. They engineered the fabric vest to not extend forty-four millimeters, which at that point causes internal bleeding if shot in the torso.

But right now, Toby felt safe, shielded by a temporary aegis. He had Brian with him who he trusted with his life. Brian, who already saved him once and with this ongoing quest, probably was going to save his ass again by the oncoming dangers that lurked in the nearby shadows of his future. Each step they took echoed off the hardened cylindrical walls of the Keeper tunnels as they got one step closer to Rachel and one step closer to solving the mystery of Gia's location. Just thinking of his daughter's name put a burden on his already heavy shoulders. He let them get her; Vikar knew that Toby would take the bait leaving his family open for attack. _Toby, you are so predictable. _A thin hand grabbed his, the grip familiar and soft.

"How is the shoulder," Nashira asked.

"Hurts," he grunted.

"How bad?"

"On a scale one to ten?"

"Yeah."

"I'd say a solid five."

"You are lucky, Toby."

Toby grinned and responded, "As lucky as road kill."

Nashira didn't understand the joke, so to brush it off, she changed the subject.

"Well when we get to Rachel, she is going to fix you up."

"Your collar bone is fractured for sure." Toby heard Brian moan from ahead.

"Come on you big baby, a broken bone doesn't hurt that bad," Nashira quipped. Toby grinned, remembering the time when she broke her arm when Toby had some friends from C-Sec over. It was an ordinary family get-together on the roof of their apartment. Of course there was beer, burgers, and hotdogs to go along with the family activities. "That was the time when we taught you and Gia how to play Frisbee. You two were probably the first quarians in the history of time to learn that fantastic game," Brian said, turning around with a grin curled around his lips, "And you fell and broke your arm on the cement curb. I remember you screaming in pain."

"Keep on talking Brian," she shot back, rolling her eyes. The thing Toby loved about Nashira was that when she was alone with him, she was the sweetest person anyone could possibly imagine. But somewhere when she was growing up, she felt the need to act tough in front of people she didn't know too well or love, in a joking manner of course, acting like a tough chick. He never really asked about her childhood but felt when it was time, she was going to share it with him. Maybe it had to deal with her old husband that died in the Migrant Fleet Marines or dealing with the thought of raising Gia alone on the flotilla, either way, he didn't know.

"Toby, do you mind if I ask you a question," Nashira whispered.

"You can ask me anything." She took a deep breath gathering courage.

"Rena…" That name sent shivers down his spine along with grisly images that were tacked to the name. "She was pregnant?" Guilt gushed through his subconscious almost bringing him to his knees. He never spoke of this small detail to Nashira before because it was one of the only things he couldn't stand speaking about. Talking about it was like getting lashed by a whip of contrition. Keeping secrets from Nashira never happened; he always shared anything and everything with her.

"Yes she was." She could sense he didn't want to talk about it at all.

"I am sorry for asking about that, I should have known better. Keelah I am sorry." Her sincere apology brightened up his mood.

"It is fine; you have a right to know."

"Is that why you are so protective with Gia?" He looked at Nash squeezing her hand gently giving her hope. She didn't use the past tense, meaning Nashira still thought Gia was alive. Hiding the truth from her was probably the smartest thing to do at the moment even though he felt it was the wrong thing to do.

"Gia and you are the center of my life. I love both of you so much I can't describe how deep it goes." Nashira wrapped an arm around his waist trying to smile, but the thought of Gia away from her parents was too much.

"Hey Toby, you said six people were at your apartment, right," Brian asked.

"Yeah and Vikar was there too."

"Why was he there?" Toby looked at Nashira, but she ignored him and slouched slightly.

"Trying to get to me. I think he set me up, you know how he said in front of everyone how he was going to kill the Lieutenant?"

"Yeah."

"He said that in front of me on purpose so when he did kill Cugasi, I would exit my house leaving my family open for attack, then kill me when I came back, well, at least that is what I think he was doing."

"The news said you killed Gia too."

Toby sighed then said, "I know, they took her from me right under my nose."

"So you killed all six people without asking questions first?" Toby slowed down, cocking his head in confusion trying to figure out why he just said that.

"They were trying to get to my family Brian, Vikar set me up."

"You said you _thought_ that is the reason why he said, and did all those things though. You _thought_. What if they were trying to protect you Toby," Brian mumbled up ahead.

"They weren't."

"How do you know?"

"Hey, what are you trying to get to man," he asked, feeling like he was being blamed. Brian turned around to notice Toby's aggressive stance and face.

"Nothing, I am just trying to understand why they would accuse you of all this." Frustration blurred his thoughts.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Didn't Pira fill you in on what happened, Vikar, that turian son of a bitch tried to rape my wife and one of them took Gia, our daughter!" Brian stopped walking completely as Toby lifted the fog from Brian's train of thought.

"They tried to rape you Nash," he whispered subtly, walking closer to her, wanting to put a hand on her shoulder but didn't because he noticed she was seething. Brian sighed feeling embarrassed and irresponsible. "Who?"

"Vikar," Toby snapped so his wife didn't have to say his name.

"I am sorry, I didn't know that. These sons of bitches are going to pay," he growled, gripping the carbine so hard, his hand turned into a white slab of marble. What caused Brian's sudden outburst of sheer ignorance? Maybe has was trying to get in the heads of C-Sec in an attempt to see what was wrong. Now that Brian mentioned it, Toby's actions did seem wrong; acting on superstition alone was unprofessional. This hazy cloud that blocked his judgment was created by Vikar who threatened his family which he knew would psychologically obscure his train of thought. If Toby got out of this unscathed, his C-Sec career was over, that was a definite.

Vibrations from the traffic above rocked the tunnel softly as they were under one of the many populated streets of the Citadel. Life teemed above them, completely oblivious to the three people under their feet with one objective in mind.

"Nash, are we getting close to the university," Brian asked, avoiding a Keeper.

"Do you hear all that traffic above us," she asked pointing at the ceiling barely above a whisper. "We are right under the university's campus." Toby looked up at the ceiling, wincing from pain. The thought of what had to be done was uncomfortable to say the least; he wasn't looking forward to have someone cut open his back. Just thinking about it, he could feel the device the size of a pinky fingernail itching, clawing at his flesh from inside like something had hatched from the plastic embryo.

"Nash, when can I use the communication channel again?"

Brian snapped fiercely, "That isn't a good idea Toby; they probably have someone listening in on your channel." Toby gave a subtle grin hinting there is nothing to worry about.

"We have someone on the inside making sure that won't happen."

"Pira," Nashira asked, entering the conversation.

"Yeah, she was a hacker before her job at C-Sec," Toby informed Nashira. "By the way, I need to get in contact with someone soon."

"Who," both Nashira and Brian asked.

Not only was Toby going to the university to get the device out of his back, but there was something else he had to check that was bothering the hell out of him.

"I need Rachel to do something for me."

Rachel stepped out of the small shower to get dressed for her classes that started later in the morning. She wiped the steam away from the mirror to stare at her foggy reflection. Her brown irises were swimming in an ocean of red.

_I_ _never got my math homework done. I hope no one else understands that computation crap Professor Reamon assigned everyone. That damn salarian talks too fast for anyone to understand; even the other salarians in my class have trouble. _

Her eyes were red, puffy, and felt like they were cast from lead. With only four hours of sleep, her deprived body was showing it. Along with the questioning, no, the interrogations from the C-Sec detective added onto the sleep starved state she was in. The detective asked her dozens upon dozens of questions which she lied her way through a small portion of them. She trusted Mr. Heiko; she knew him for so long and didn't open her mind to the horrible things the old turian C-Sec officer named Detective Vakarian said. She can clearly remember his steel eyes boring a hole ruthlessly into hers, searching for answers and lies. Blinking and opening the mirror, she stared at the vials and cases of makeup with disgust. The thought of adding anything onto her face was repulsive. She shut the mirror, opened the door of her bathroom, and stepped into her bedroom to enjoy the feeling of carpet on her bare feet to which she pushed her toes into the plush forest of fabric. An orange light in the corner of her bedroom lit up, splashing its subtle hue on all four walls like an artist with a bucket of paint and nothing else. Through a half sprint and half skip, her hand shot out, grabbed the phone and she glanced at the number.

_Restricted. _

Cautiously, she hit the green phone emblem and quietly pressed it against her ear.

"Hello?"

"Rachel, are you alone?" The voice was of her neighbor, Mr. Heiko.

"Hang on a sec." Rachel pushed the slim phone into her chest and quietly walked to the living room, took a sharp right, walking past the kitchen to her left and into the foyer. She pressed her ear against the locked door listening for anything. Muffled voices percolated though the door. One voice in particular stood out as Detective Vakarian's. The old turian was asking the evidence teams something; through his gravelly voice, she couldn't make it out. Whispering, she put the phone against her ear one more time.

"Mr. Heiko, give me one more second, just making sure there is no one listening in on me." Again, she pressed the phone against her stomach and unlocked the sliding chain and lock, making sure the brass chain didn't rattle against the door. Rachel then unbolted the dead lock to quietly open the door. The hot that air rushed into her cool apartment tickled her eyelashes as she peered out into the hallway. Several of her human neighbors were being asked questions by Detective Vakarian who held a data pad, carving notes fiercely into it, not taking his gaze away from the human's eyes.

_That bastard seriously is good at his job._

The way he stared into the eyes, he played an unfair game of chicken. He was just daring his prey to look away; he was intimidating. To the left, a forensic team was packing up the evidence. They wore sterile white hazmat suits and started clipping plastic boxes up ready to leave. A holographic _Do Not Cross _line was streaming its white text which was swimming in an ocean of blue backlight which would change scarlet each time one of the forensic detectives crossed it. No one was in earshot of her.

"Toby, you there?" She closed the door talking gently into the phone.

"Yeah, right here Rachel." She listened closely trying to figure out where they were, but all she could make out was a slight hum, nothing that stood out. Being Toby's neighbor for three long years, the Heiko's became her parents away from home, as her parents were still back on Earth. She always had an interest for medical sciences, especially with all the new alien technology, she just had to tear into the meat of it all and live on the most alien place know to humans: the Citadel. When Rachel was moving into her apartment, her first encounter with an alien, besides the ones in the space port, was Nashira. It was the most extraordinary moment in her life meeting an alien that seemed so human. Although she had to apologize for staring at her legs several times; but when Rachel found out that she was married to a human, her interest peaked to new heights of which she never knew existed.

"Did C-Sec come to your door and ask questions?"

She bit her lower lip then said, "Yeah they did, but I told them nothing. Don't you think calling me isn't the safest thing to do, I mean can't they be listening in or something?"

"I have someone protecting this line Rache, so don't worry. So, you are alone?"

"Yeah I am."

"I want you to say that you are alone." She furrowed her brow confused.

"I am alone Mr. Heiko." The other line was silent like he was processing what she said.

"Okay, I can tell you are not lying." Rachel knew he was a cop and was great at listening carefully, searching for subtle inflections of her voice. The thought of having someone standing next to her listening was an uneasy thought. Rachel put her back against the wall in the dark room to just sit in the corner of the living room. Cups with straws leaning against the rims scattered her glass table and bookshelf as she had a phobia of dirty cups, so straws were a necessity in her life. Posters of human, turian, krogan, asari, and salarian anatomies hung on her walls so when she was aimlessly walking around her small apartment or cleaning, she could always be studying. Scented candles had finished burning, leaving a sweet French vanilla scent hovering amidst her quarters.

"Are you okay? Why are you calling me," she asked worried.

"Listen, you are one of the only people I can trust right now and I don't have many allies with me. Now, what I am about to ask you, you don't have to do this and I don't blame you if you don't want to." Rachel pulled a wisp of hair behind her left ear nervously.

"You are my family practically; I will do anything for you guys." She heard a sigh of relief on the other line.

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy but…" What sounded like him ruffling around on the other line came through before he spoke again in a hushed tone. "I would like for you to go into my apartment and get something, but don't worry, we will make it easier for you." She didn't like the sound of his plan although he reassured her again that it is easier done than said.

"How are you going to make this easy?"

"I have someone on the inside that will assist you, okay? This person will move people like pieces on a chessboard." She wasn't sure how this certain person was going to do this, but it seemed like asking 'how' wasn't appropriate for the time being.

"Okay, what do I need to do?"

God she couldn't believe she just said that.

"In my office, right above my desk, there is a cabinet to the very left with a paper towel inside, I _need _that paper towel Rache." The request was odd.

"Paper towel, in office above desk, got it…do you want me to do this now?" Her heart began beating faster as this was probably the most stupid, yet courageous act she would ever commit.

"Whenever you are ready Rache." She stood up from the corner, gathering courage, seizing the moment for she knew her momentary insanity was going to wear off soon enough. "Rachel, I need for you to take the phone with you too." She put the phone on speaker, setting it down to slip on some jeans and a tank top.

"Okay, I am ready." She looked at her shoes then decided not to wear them; at least that is what people do in movies to be stealthy. It seemed sensible enough.

"Stay inside your apartment until I tell you to go outside." She involuntarily nodded, pressing her ear against the door to listen outside. She opened her mouth slightly and closed her eyes. A phone range in the distance and the gravelly voice of the detective answered the phone's annoying cry. Rachel heard him walk past her door then told the crew to pack everything up and get down the C-Sec laboratories. A minute later and no noise outside, her name came from the phone.

"Rachel, now I need you to move into the hallway right now," Toby ordered her. She unlocked both her bolts in order to peek through the thin crack of her door. Seeing nothing, she walked into the hallway and towards the Heiko's apartment, but stopped instantly, noticing an armed guard walking out of their doorway.

_Don't move and he won't notice me! Oh no, I messed up! _

"Faris, I need you down in the lobby, that is an order," a cool female voice drifted through the hallway from the turian's radio, which sounded like a gunshot in the dead silence. She jumped at Faris's radio and opened her eyes to notice him walk into the elevator. The hallway was deserted and this unknown person helping her and Toby was a godsend.

"Mr. Heiko, the hallway is clear, what now," she whispered with adrenaline saturating her veins.

"It is clear going into the apartment, head inside and get what I asked you to get." She clasped the phone tightly and walked into his apartment. The lights were off, but the air held a thick aura, like after a bad argument two parents just had deciding to have a divorce. Her stomach churned, thinking about what happened in here, how this one event changed this families lives' forever. The amber effulgence from the phone projected Rachel's silhouette on the wall to her left, which was marred with metal splinters. A large hole sat in the center of the gray painted drywall, letting soothing orange light ooze though the ragged hole. Drywall dusted the wooden floor with footprints stamped into the gray cinders. She saw the hallway leading into the office, Gia's bedroom, the bathroom, and the master bedroom.

"I am going inside of your office Mr. Heiko."

"Okay, you are doing so well. Everything is clear, grab it and get out," he whispered, sensing the tension over the phone. Nelson, Toby's fish, illuminated the small bowl with azure light which reflected off the colored marbles at the bottom of his acrylic home. Through the dark, murky room, Rachel could pick out dark circles which stained the carpet. She gasped, realizing it was blood and quickly looked away from it. Rapidly, she made her way towards the office. Holding out her hand, she used the phone's backlight, igniting the room, swallowing the blackness with her torch.

_Cabinet above the desk, left door. _

She swiveled the door open and laying right where Mr. Heiko said was a crumpled piece of white paper next to an old book. She snatched it, stuffing it into her pocket then picked up the phone.

"Got it Mr. Heiko."

_Perfectly executed, now I need to get out of here before…_

Footsteps crackled at the front door, wooden floor slats creaking from a weight.

"Mr. Heiko, someone is at the front door," she whispered, not daring to move.

"What? Nobody should be there right now!" Toby's voice had this tone of panic in it that scared Rachel to a brand new level of terror. "Rachel, can you get out?" She didn't dare speak. "Okay, just hide in my office and wait it out, it is going to be okay." Cautiously, she crouched beside his desk, hidden from view. The intruder's flashlight clicked on and paned the rooms, throwing ebony shadows into the hallway like a black cape flapping in the wind. Her heart ferociously pounded against her chest while listening to the footsteps grow closer and closer. Her heart beats sounded like drums in a cavernous room, barbarically resonating off the hard walls letting the intruder know where her exact location was. Rachel pushed the phone into her thigh, smothering Toby's voice which was trying to calm her down. She needed to also conceal the radiant tangerine lights on the sleek phone. A loud crack snapped from the living room, the noise was also intertwined with a splash of water.

_The fish bowl, did it just knock that over? _

The wood panels in the floor stopped creaking as the intruder stood still watching, scrutinizing something.

Fearing for her life, Rachel's senses suddenly became acute, honing in on any noise or vibration coming from nearby. A wet flopping noise slopped from where the intruder stood, the noise being only one thing.

_Nelson._

_That sick bastard in there is watching that poor animal die._

_If it does that to a fish, what is it going to do to me?_

_Oh no, I can't get caught._

Skave was staring down at the fish, watching it helplessly flip on the ground, squirming in pain with the lack of water. It energetically slipped in its thinning puddle of water gasping, opening and closing its mouth then finally surrendering to its inevitable death. Skave observed it with a grin on his face as it slowed, finally going still and began to hyperventilate. Its bulbous eyes retreated into its fragile skull and peered up at the predator that hulked over it. Slowly, Skave put his foot on its delicate body. It squirmed under the slight pressure, terrified of the massive brick about to take its life. Applying pressure, Skave felt it pop like a grape, forcing the fish to spit its guts out of his throat. He took his foot away to stare at the fish that convulsed as its smashed brain sent last minute sporadic currents to its muscles.

Skave aimed the flashlight into the kitchen to snoop around, invading Heiko's personal property. Knowing this would anger him. The Spectre looked at the pictures magnetically hanging on the refrigerator. An image of Toby grinning on a running track with Gia, his pathetic quarian daughter, was slung over his shoulders and stared back at him through the image. Another picture on the refrigerator was of Toby, Nashira, Gia, a large man, and some brunette girl all staring at a birthday cake with seven candles on it, the flickering flames gleaming in all their cheery eyes and facemasks. Boxes wrapped in paper, printed with the Destiny Ascension, sat in the corner of the table along with a pile of cards. Skave turned around to look at the same table where this very picture was taken. He imagined all five of those people congregated around the flaming cake, sitting in the steel chairs atop their red seat cushions, all smiling. He pulled out his pistol, aiming it at where their heads would be and pulled the stiff trigger which was held forward by the safety. Grinning, he snatched all the pictures from the door, ripped them into ribbons and washed them down the sink.

_Quarians can't even eat cake, what is the point of it? _

The kitchen was spotless, not even water spots were visible on the counter surfaces. Cups were neatly organized according to size and same with the plates. Books were shelved under the cabinets on the frosted glass counter top by the author's name alphabetically. Skave was fascinated by his organization skills, like studying an animal's cage, researching it to better understand it for hunting purposes. The tinted window revealed two bullet holes punched into the thick glass. Thread like cracks spread perpendicular from the repeating concentric rings like a spider web caught by the pale morning sun, glittering with crisp dew. The windows on apartments like these were tripled pained with a low viscous fluid between the sheets of acrylic that sealed any hole or crack, protecting the room's occupants from the zero atmosphere outside if there was a breach. Blood stained the charcoal gray rug which held lighter gray twisting decals that were knitted into the fabric that rested under the coffee table in the living room. Skave knew the blood was from turians by the dark blue blotches staining the rug. If Heiko could take on six C-Sec agents all by himself, this man was more dangerous than anticipated, he must take this kill seriously and cautiously.

There was a hallway off to his left that caught his attention. Soft orange light crept around a half opened door which had pictures and stickers of starships tacked onto the surface of the door.

_Gia's room. _

He walked over to the door, pushing it open with his fist to peer around. Her small bed was stripped when the forensic team came in to extract every trace of evidence. Only a small patch of blood was left over from where her fragile dead body once lay, staining the mattress slightly. Why he would want to kill his own daughter confused even him, with a sane man like Heiko, what would make him snap like that? Losing his attention quickly, he did an about face staring at another door that was cracked open slightly. A hand drawn picture was clinging to the door with a strip of tape that had sloppy text on it reading:

_Daddy's Office_

_Do not disturb when door is closed._

_He is busy._

Skave grinned at the picture, tearing it from the door and clasped it in his hand. He couldn't grasp the idea of why these two quarians loved a human so much, no matter how hard he thought it just didn't make sense. They are new to the galactic scene, aliens who are shrouded in ignorance, are arrogant as all hell, and are headstrong. They always blitzed their goals to end up never looking back. The office was a good place to start for information gathering.

_Oh God please don't come in here._

_Go away._

_Rachel, slow your breathing._

_It can hear you._

_I know it._

_Please don't find me._

_Oh no. _

Sitting alone in the dark room with this intruder only feet away, she has never been so terrified in her life. The fear that coursed through her veins was something she has only felt in the darkest of nightmares; ones where she wakes up and the pain is still present, the odor is still there, and she thinks she is still in that dream world, realizing she is never going to wake. Vision blurred on the brink of sheer panic, the wooden boards of the floor looked like they were vibrating as Rachel stood as still as she could, holding her breath. Black steam swirled and twisted on the edges of her vision. The sable steam contorted into gnarled black barbed wire. The thing got closer.

_Breathe._

_Breathe quietly though._

_It can hear you. _

She could hear its fingers…no, its claws, scraping on the door to push it open. Vision flashed white with panic. Rachel's muscles flexed, she was terrified with her imagination running wild. Whatever was coming into the room had a depriving aura about it. Bolts of power and violence arced off it, snapping against the floor like a creature from a nightmare that cut its way from the dream realm and entered the real world. It hulked through the apartment, dragging its lanky, wicked arms against the ground, smearing a black oily sludge in its wake. The floor boards moaned under its heavy footsteps, tortured by its sheer weight and size, groaning like a sick house in the wind.

_I need to make a move._

_Now?_

_Yes, now._

_It will find me if I don't._

_I am sure of it._

Skave looked around the office noticing Heiko's need to organize everything to perfection. He was clean and Skave respected that part. To hunt a hunter, he had to respect his prey and never get over confident like he did at The Glass House. Nothing of importance was in here at the moment, so leaving this room last to scrounge for contacts, leads, and weaknesses was his best option. Turning around, he closed the door and entered their bedroom. A panoramic window to the right revealed an amazing view of the Citadel facing out towards the Ward arms, away from the Presidium.

_He must like vistas to pay for this view._

The room smelled fresh and clean with a subtle hint of human male deodorant intermingled with strawberries. Again, there was a blue stain on the carpet in this room from another turian Heiko murdered.

Entering the bathroom, he flicked on the light. He craned his head around the immaculate bathroom, analyzing every single detail. Large slate tiles accented with the brushed aluminum handles, knobs, and sinks giving it an old world look. Pictures of Toby, Nashira, and Gia were poised on the sink top and again, were spotless. No water marks, white residue of toothpaste ejected from Heiko's mouth, or dust tainted the purity of the glass protecting the picture. He was going to explore the bathroom later though as something caught his attention blinking in the bedroom. A green light winked at him from an answering machine in the corner poised on a table between two chairs in a reading nook. Reaching a finger out about to tap it, the phone began to ring, startling him slightly. This was his chance to get some sort of lead off of Heiko. He sat on the edge of the bed waiting for the ringing to stop.

"Hey, you have reached the Heiko's; Toby, Nashira, and Gia here!" Skave listened to Nashira say hello with her thick accent and Gia squeal in the background, "we are not here right now, so please leave a message after the beep, thanks. No Gia, don't touch that!" The answering machine stopped as it sounded like Gia was trying to grab it at the last moment, trying to sabotage the message for fun with Toby chuckling. Suddenly, a new voice came through, this one gravely and full of emotion, like he was an actor.

"Hey Nash, it's Donny, sorry for not sending you a message over the omni-tool network, my cable and network are having problems. Well anyways, I need you for work at noon, meet me at Ron's bar, you know the one. Alrighty then, I should get going. By Heiko family, bye Gia!"

The man known as Donny hung up, making the biggest mistake of his life through an innocent phone call.

Rachel's hearing was like a predatory animal. It was picking up on everything that the monster inside this place was doing. The ringing of a phone broke the silence, startling her as she cowered in the corner hidden by Mr. Heiko's desk. Again, the phone rang.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring. _

_Ring._

_Ring._

Making a move to escape right now was the single smarted thing she could do, for the monster would definitely be back. Crawling on all fours, she crept to the door and placed a hand on the icy knob, twisting ever so gently. Amber light penetrated through the crack, cutting the dark like a heated saber. Mr. Heiko's voice bounced off the hallway walls from the answering machine in their bedroom. She got to her feet and slipped into the hallway, hung a right, and busted out the door as if something were right on her heels.

Pressing the phone up to her ear while jogging back to her apartment she asked, "Mr. Heiko are you there?"

"Rachel, are you okay?" She threw open her door and slammed it shut getting her breath back.

"Yeah, I am fine."

"Who was in the apartment Rachel?"

She crumpled down on the floor to place a clammy hand on her forehead which she swiped beads of sweat from her brow.

"I…I don't know, I never saw it Mr. Heiko."

"It?"

She felt suddenly embarrassed.

"Yeah, it had this negative energy to it like it was sucking all the heated joy from the room, but it was just me because I am shaking right now. God I was scared." Toby was quiet on the opposite line thinking about what she just said, possibly knowing what it was.

"Did you get what I asked you to find?"

"Yup, right here in my pocket."

"Now, I need you to come down to the university and help us out if that is okay."

She nodded. Her mouth was dry as a cotton ball and needed water to wash away the thirst and residual fear.

"I am on it."

Pira sat quietly at her computer terminal doing breathing exercises after hacking into the C-Sec network to manipulate the ground units around Toby's apartment. It was such a rush. Stress impeded her progress, along with fatigue, for she has been up for close to two whole days working and helping out her friends. Yawning, she stood up, not bothering to push her chair back under the glass tabletop and searched for her mug. It was hiding behind a pile of data pads and trash that was spewing over Brian's workstation onto hers. The ceramic mug held an inch of lukewarm black coffee that desperately needed a refill. After humans were introduced to the galactic society, coffee instantly became a hit among asari and its addiction spread like wild fire over dry, crumbly timber. Wondering what Toby was doing with Brian, who raided the Glass House with two fire teams, she neared the bar and placed her mug under the coffee dispenser and pushed a black plastic button to release the spouting hot liquid. Yelling erupted over the large room, booming like a canon over the constant chatter of one of the four dispatcher rooms on this floor. Pira knew it had to deal with Toby or Cugasi or Vikar…so many things have gone wrong in the past twenty-four hours; she couldn't keep them all straight.

"I can't believe this Komani, this is bullshit!"

The cursing caught Pira's attention, so she spun around towards the ruckus and noticed Bosner yelling at Komani. Something was up. Quickly, Pira walked back over towards her desk and shot a look at her monitor. She tapped a few buttons and Toby's face came up along with his name, rank, and profile number, but no sign of him on the map yet. Quickly, she cut the program so she couldn't be caught.

"So you are calling off the operation? I almost had him Komani, let me go at him one more time," Bosner yelled again, ignoring the dozens of stares he was getting.

"He is already being taken care of Bosner, now stand down!" Komani countered in a chilly voice. Bosner's face was beat red, matching his orange buzzed hair, but was cooled by his icy blue eyes that seemed to be melting with his heated rage. Bosner always kept his pulse in check around crowds and superiors just like Toby which earned the nickname Ice Man. They both knew their jobs impacted humanity a great deal so keeping cool was important. He took off after this heated debate with Komani. Pira missed what they were arguing about as Bosner headed towards the bathrooms. She shrugged and tried calling Toby one more time before going back and listening to drunk aliens call her to complain about bar fights or noise disturbances. Toby's holographic picture frame filtered through his hundreds of photos, capturing her attention for a few moments before getting back to work.

How could anyone think he would do that to his family? Kill Gia? It made no sense what so ever. More than half of everyone knew Gia personally from when Toby would bring her in to work on the weekends and show her around his office. Suddenly, a heavy warm hand landed on her shoulder, snapping her from a mundane daydream. Bosner's blue veins bulged out of his hand while grabbing Pira's thin shoulder. His grip was strong yet non aggressive as Pira met his eyes searching for answers to why he snuck up on her.

Whispering, Bosner asked, "Pira, when was the last time you spoke to Toby or Brian?" Confused by this question, regarding it as an interrogation, Pira scrambled an answer together in the best form of a lie she could make.

"Yesterday during the operation," she said stuttering with a straight face.

"I want the truth."

_Damn it, uhm… what do I say. He noticed my momentary stall._

"That is the truth Bosner."

The dangerously fit man grabbed a chair and brought it next to hers.

Forcefully, Bosner asked again, "I _need _the truth."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Toby stared up at the green metal doors which lead up to the university's campus grounds. A yellow tinted light hummed harmoniously next to the door, illuminating the dark tunnel just enough to see through the thick black. His mind ran wild, thinking about how the Hunter was inside of his apartment. It was touching his things, looking at his daughter's bed, investigating her toys, smelling his wives quarian cloths, rifling through his belongings and invading his personal space. Frustration was prevalent in each of his brain cells. He felt hopeless until he could get the monitoring device out of his back. It was like having a hook tied to him with a big, visible bobber; there was no way he was going to get away with anything until he severed the line. Toby peered at his watch, checking the time. The titanium arms slowly paced around the internal circumference passing each raised metallic knick mark. Its movements were fluid, absolutely no lagging motions in the arms as the self wined gears flawlessly propelled the arms.

In one minute, it was show time. They were able to find a phone down in the Keeper tunnels, which were for emergency uses if a person was locked down here or injured, since the walls did not allow radio waves to pass through. Brian was done stripping his C-Sec gear and disassembling his carbine, this was no one would be able to use it if it was found. Finishing the field strip, he snatched the ammunition brick from the carbine and stuffed it into his pocket. Nashira hasn't said a word to Toby in quite some time. She was leaning against the wall with arms crossed, probably in deep thought, thinking about her daughter, _their_ daughter who was alone, scared, and confused. Brian, who was wearing civilian clothes underneath his gear, pushed a pistol into the back of his pants. Toby felt anxiety tighten in his chest; it was both from what they were about to do and the fact that Brian came prepared the help out. To say the least, he was glad to have him by his side.

"Toby, so is this the only way to have C-Sec stop tracking you," Nashira asked, her delicate voice laced with fear and angst. Both shoulders were slouching and her head was cocked to the side nervously. Toby grabbed her hands, trying not to move his arm too much for the fear of pain playing hopscotch across his shoulder blades and neck. She was obviously in distress but holding up well. She has lived a tough life before she restarted one with Toby on the Citadel, so she knew how to control her emotions and not break down. Nashira was resilient in that manner.

"It's the only way. Listen, I wouldn't be doing this if it was dangerous or would risk our lives or even mine." Glancing at his watch, his heart skipped several beats as apprehension struck with a massive blow and the only way to defeat it was to bust out that door and get this done and over with. "Is everyone ready?" Toby's dark eyes scanned Nashira and Brian's faces, both of them nodded. Both stood up to approach the green door which had its paint flaking off in curling chips. He placed his hand on the handle, twisted it and pulled, but it didn't move. Shaking it violently as if it were just sticky, it still didn't budge.

"We are going to be late Toby," Brian nervously mumbled pushing him out of the way. In one powerful move, Brian kicked it with his boot which knocked the handle loose and the door shuttered open towards them. Voices flooded the tunnel like a breeched dam from the reservoir of noise outside, bringing the trio back into the real world. Bright light warmed their faces, forcing them to shade their faces from the brutal Widow that was trying to claw out their eyes with its sharp rays. Before them was a chalk white stone building which rose six stories above them and was paned with subtle blue glass resembling "starchitecture" styling, accented heavily by Erhardt Shlaminger's style back on Earth. Elegant swooping ramps ran back and forth inside the hollowed building resembling a bee hive. Oblique ovals and ellipses dotted the building at odd angles letting an abundant amount of light inside. It truly was a beautiful building and because it was made out of stone, it looked like a relic hiding inside of a metal metropolis; a white pearl embedded in a steel maze of sea urchin spears. Crowds of people, students, and professors alike waltzed through the lush green garden of the campus. They passed by neatly trimmed bushes, walked over glittering grass, and escaped the Widow by sitting under shaded trees reading alluring novels with noses shoved into the binding of the pages.

"It's go time," Toby mumbled. Starting down at his omni-tool, he called Rachel. Before the first ring finished, she picked up sounding breathless.

"Mr. Heiko, I see you walking out of the alleyway right now off to your left." He turned to his left and saw her jogging towards him with a satchel slung over her shoulder and dark hair tied into a tight bun. He hung up and rushed towards Rachel and gave her a hug while she slipped him the paper towel.

"I am _so _sorry for putting you in harm's way Rache," he apologized sincerely while wincing at his broken collar bone, feeling the hairline fracture widen then tighten.

"It is okay Mr. Heiko." She threw her gaze over his shoulder staring at Brian and Nashira to which she waved at both.

"Now, do you think you can do one more thing for me Rache?"

"Anything, I am already waist deep in this," she snorted nervously, staring at the fugitives feet grinning slightly. Nashira grabbed Rachel's arm and softly whispered thanks.

"I would like for you to do a small surgery on me." Rachel's brown doe eyes went wide with shock as a million questions suddenly surged through her brain. Nashira nodded, enforcing what he said had to be done. "C-Sec put a device in my back so they can track my heart rate and location all the time, if for instance, I got kidnapped, got lost in a duct or something like that. They are tracking my position as we speak and probably sending another team in to get me. I _need _to get this out of my back as soon as possible." Her mouth cracked open only enough to slip a piece of paper through and the color in her face drained.

"I have never done surgery before Mr. Heiko."

"But you have studied it, right?"

"Well yes, but it doesn't work like that at all." Toby placed a hand on her shoulder softly and stared deep into her eyes.

"You can do it Rache." For a second she stood there apprehensively, then pulled a lose strand of hair behind her ear gaining confidence.

"Okay, let's do it. There is a clean room that we can use. It is never occupied, so we should move now." Toby grabbed her arm.

"Were you followed Rachel? I know you said there was something in the apartment with you."

"Uhm…no no, it didn't even know I was there Mr. Heiko. I was in and out"

"Why were you in our apartment Rachel," Nashira asked curiously. The paper towel in Toby's pocket felt like a million pounds of guilt. He had to tell her sometime soon; keeping a secret like this from Nashira, his wife, was wrong, and it was beginning to chafe his decision making.

"Nash, I will tell you later, but right now we have to move." Nashira's three fingered hand snaked into his while walking towards the building. God he felt even guiltier now.

"We are going to get through this Toby, I know it." He felt the complete opposite though, but Nashira's words gave him hope like no other. They were like a crackling fire, burning and snapping in the cold night with its heat kissing his back reassuringly. Brian walked past them to talk to Rachel while weaving around the crowds of humans and aliens.

"Listen Nashira, when I went into Gia's room…" the next words he tried getting out of his mouth were like heated stones in his stomach that burning though his tissue painfully with guilt. "There was blood on the floor." There it was. He said it. Stress hissed out of his subconscious like releasing the pressure out of a pressure cooker. Her grip went limp, dead. Dead as dead can be which stopped her from walking. "Nash," he whispered grabbing her hands. "Come here." The silver light of her eyes disappeared while drowning in shock and sorrow.

"I don't even know if it is her blood Nash," he reassured her.

"Who else's could it be Toby?" The tone of her voice could stop his heart; it was as delicate as a strand of tensile about to snap under a heavy weight.

"I don't know, we are about to find out."

_It had to be her blood, who's would it be if it weren't hers? I am not sure if I follow what Nashira is getting at. Hope maybe? But she always looks towards logic, it doesn't make any sense. _

Her grip found life. It grew stronger while approaching the university's main entrance, which was an oval, cocked to the side and laying forty-five degrees to the floor. Cool air blasted their faces, rippling through Toby's leather jacket and soothing his headache like a cold hand chilling a fever. The inside of the building was fantastic. Everything was white and scaled with glass giving it a clean, crisp appearance. Holographs spun inside massive glass panels erected from the ground which advertised class changes and important updates. White polished benches glittered like a choppy lake in the sun as dozens of people sat on them, staring at data pads and worrying about their next exam. Ramps zigzagged across the cavernous interior which were made out of the same white acrylic as the benches and other supports. The building's bones caught the light and glowed like massive fiber optics with fiery light blitzing through the center. Oval windows littered the ceiling in complex haphazard patterns as if someone were blowing bubbles from a plastic wand. It truly was a breathtaking sight. Footsteps pattered like rain against a widow, the sound traveling far and bouncing off the polished white floor checkered with scuff marks from the thousands of shoes that kissed the floor every day. Rachel pointed towards a holographic blue sign reading _Clean Rooms._

Toby's heart raced like pistons, pumping blood through his veins with traces of adrenaline leaking through making him more alert. The gentle pattering of the footsteps changed to thunderous drums that he could feel vibrating in his chest. They entered a walkway with glass panes on either side looking out over the lush campus. Seeing vegetation is rare on the Citadel, especially on the Wards, but the university's students all had deep pockets, so they could manage to have a beautiful, well groomed campus.

"Right here you guys," Rachel said, her voice shaking the slightest bit. She pulled open two steel doors that led to another hallway with at least ten doors on either side concluding at a dead end. "Each of these doors opens into a clean room or operating room, whichever you want to call it." She typed in several digits into a keypad and locks clicked from inside the door. Toby's heart mimicked the metallic clicks and almost lost last night's dinner when the pungent sterile smell of bandages, latex, clean paper towels, and cheesecloth punched him in the face. His stomach churned and knotted up with anxiety while stepping in the room as if something hatched inside him and tried to claw its way out towards freedom, tangled in his organs, caught like a fish in a net. "Mr. Heiko."

"You can do it Rachel, I know it. Is that door locked?" Brian grabbed the metal handle double checking.

"Yeah."

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Toby turned towards table staring at it. The cold metallic tray reflected the scintillating lights above which burned halos into Toby's vision. Nashira helped Toby take of his jacket, shirt, and bullet resistant vest. A massive blue and yellow bruise stained his dark skin with a pinky-nail size drop of dried blood. The room's cold air sent shivers down his spine, which spread goose bumps across his skin, like a wave crashing against the shore and crawled its way up the beach. Rachel grabbed what looked like a pen, stuck a razor blade in a crack at the tip and tightened it after washing her hands up to the elbows. Snapping latex gloves on her hands nervously, she peered at Toby's scarred and beaten body. His skin was cratered with scars, like a physical timeline that spanned over the years of action from the military and C-Sec. Rachel rolled a small tray next to the table setting her tools on a baby blue microfiber cloth consisting of a scalpel, tweezers, clamps, cheesecloth, a small white towel, and a pair of retractors. Looking at all these tools, Toby was getting nervous. Their blades were flawless and sharp; edges were ground down to a fifteen degree angle making for a perfect cutting surface able to slice through skin, fat, and muscle with ease.

"Rache, that machine, does that have sedatives in it," he asked, sitting on the edge of the table feeling nauseated while pointing at a machine the size of a briefcase.

"That is the AGM 650C, asrai made."

Toby raised an eyebrow then said, "I don't follow, but I am guessing that is something which distributes anesthesia?"

"That is right, Anesthesia Gas Machine 650 Culmio. Clumio is the brand name." She pulled out a clear tube that went in the nose which was attached to a breathing mask. He had to let her know what he wanted to do; this was the reason why he was so nervous about doing this.

"I can't have any anesthesia."

"What," both Nashira and Rachel yelped, looking at him like he was mad.

"Toby, you have to have anesthesia, she is going to be cutting into your back with a knife," Nashira panted grabbing his curled up fist.

"If the Hunter comes by and I am drugged, how am I going to fight and protect you? I _won't_ be able to protect you." Her eyes narrowed.

"Toby's right Nashira," Brian chimed in, uncrossing his python like arms. Her head snapped between the two knowing both of them were right, but she didn't wish to admit it.

"Let's do this." Toby spun around to lie on his stomach. The icy metal pressed against his skin, cutting through his flesh, scraping against his bones like a cold knife. All his muscles knotted up and his hand searched for Nashira's.

He grabbed it.

"Rachel, let's get this on the road." Toby pointed at his back where a small white ridge of scarred tissue rested, telling her that is where the transmitter was located. He cocked his head to stare at Nashira who was crouching beside him.

She stared into his gassy eyes. A lanky finger brushed against his lips and stroked his brow giving him one last tickle of hope before falling into this intense pit of pain, where it was going to test his mental and physical strength. His body heat began warming up the thin metal table. Toby stared at her face, enthralled by the argent splinters hiding behind the tinted veil. A wet curling hiss from a shaving slurped out of a tin can as Rachel applied it to his back and then cleaned up the minute hairs with a razor, preparing his skin for the blade. The icy tongue of iodine licked his back as Rachel prepared to cut him open with a scalpel.

"Here, you need to put this in your mouth so you don't shatter your teeth." Caught up in anxiety, he almost forgot about the cloth that he was supposed to bite down on which prevents him from breaking his teeth caused by the immense pain which was fast approaching.

"Nash, I need to let go of you, I might break your hand." Her gloved hand slowly slipped away and he clasped onto the metal legs of the table. Rachel placed cheesecloth on the small of his back to keep the blood from dripping into his pants and staining his jeans.

"Here we go."

Toby shut his eyes, trying to go into a meditative state while grabbing onto the table legs, desperately waiting for the pain. His heart hammered along with the buzzing sound of blood circulating around his ears. It was the sound of genuine fear. Rachel's warm hand pressed against his back and he felt the cold tickle of steel. Suddenly, it changed to a heated itch…then something worse. He could actually hear the blade scraping against his skin, crunching off the minute hair follicles as the blade bit deep into his flesh.

_Hot, hot, hot!_

_Ouch, ouch, ouch!_

_Close eyes._

_Block out the pain._

_Don't think about it._

_Damn it!_

Through his closed eyes, torrents of white hot pain flashed like lightning cracking through the dark.

_The sound of the blade in my skin._

_It sounds like cutting the fat off a piece of pork._

_The hair snapping under the sharp blade and scraping against the side of the steel._

_God I can hear it now. _

_The crackling._

Even though the room had no moving air, Rachel's subtle breaths percolated through the fabric mask she wore which stung on contact with his bare flesh. Yellow bloody fat covered his back muscles, so she had to cut deeper and deeper. His muscles tensed up as his body inflated like a balloon, which pushed blood out the gaping maw and trickled down his side which pooled around his stomach. The pain was incredible as Rachel grabbed a retractor to hold the two lips of skin open while she dug into his back. Rachel whispered something, but he couldn't make out what she said over the rumbling in his ears as he flexed.

"Toby, you need to relax. The transmitter is tucked under a large vein and she doesn't want to knick it." Nashira's soft voice was calming and soothing, like nectar to his ears. His back muscles were quivering like a pile of jelly, making the work platform hard for Rachel, who was a novice and untrained surgeon. Tears accumulated at the corner of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks which slipped into his mouth, further dampening the cloth. He almost couldn't stand it anymore. Rachel spoke again, shortly followed by Nashira.

"Toby…remember when I first introduced you to Gia? That was after our third date when I welcomed you into my small apartment, do you remember holding her?" The pain wasn't as sharp, he couldn't feel the scalpel slicing through each strand of muscle anymore and it dulled to a blunt blaze. He remembers grinning for hours while holding the sleeping quarian who weighed no more than fifteen pounds. The suit was custom fitted and made for her while on the Migrant Fleet. All Nashira's hard earned money went to new suits and rent for the apartment, and Toby admired that. Her small sleeping body slowly inflated and deflated. She gleefully sucked air into her precious little lugs with an audible squeaky hiss as her pursed lips slurped up the filtered oxygen. "I remember you telling me that was one of your favorite days in your entire life Toby." Suddenly wincing as Rachel cut deeper, he snapped out of his dream. Hands white as chalk, he grabbed onto the legs for dear life as he felt his knuckles creaking and moaning from the stress he was putting on them. His wife's voice wasn't a good sedative anymore; it no longer worked when Rachel pushed her tweezers into his muscles, spreading them out like rubber bands while searching for the pill sized capsule.

Sable waves pushed into his vision as he opened his eyes when it hurt too much. The light seared his tender eyes, frying his pupils and the light darted to his brain like a hot needle. The light, like fire, spread throughout his grey matter, twisting and turning as it navigated its way through the wild maze, scraping against the narrow walls like a kidney stone. He coughed suddenly and Rachel's tweezers pushed deep into his back and the retractors slipped from the bloody crevasse. He could feel the metal prongs snapping through his wound and suddenly, it felt like he was being branded with a hot brick.

_The black pushing in._

_Too much pain._

_I can't take it anymore._

_Ebony wings blindfolding me._

_Black._

_Darkness._

Warm hands caressed Toby's face and a bright light penetrated deep into his eyes. He could actually feel the beams of light as if they had mass to them, which gracefully searched his brain for a soul.

"_Oby, an ou ear me?"_

"_Oby man, ou in there?" _

He came to, breaking free from the strangulating black and smacked his sandpapery mouth trying to water it with saliva that wasn't there. A blue tinted face mask, blurred by sleepy eyes, peered at him. Nashira held his face in her hands as he leaned up looking around the room confused. An acute pain tugged at his back where the surgery happened.

_Surgery._

_I remember now._

_The pain._

_Gone._

"You passed out Toby," Rachel told him washing her hands. The wound on his back burned and itched fiercely, he just wanted to scratch it open only push his fingers inside of it to defeat this fearsome scratch.

"Water."

Rachel filled up a plastic cup with faucet water and handed it to him. He downed the water as fast as he could, not sparing a single drop.

"Don't touch that cut Toby, I have surgical staples in there now." He could feel their metal claws holding the two raged lips closed causing it to itch. There was something else on him that restricted his breathing. Noticing his shirt was still off, he looked down to stare at a bandage, like a harness, which was wrapped over and under his armpits. "While you were out, I fitted a figure-eight-bandage on you to help out the hairline fracture in your clavicle."

"It sure is tight, good job," he mumbled, seeing tons of these when on tour with the Alliance.

"Thanks, I learned that like a week ago in one of my classes." Another white bandage ran across his belly, this one keeping the wound from surgery safely protected.

"I am guessing your next question is going to be how long you were out for?" Toby looked at Brian who was leaning against the sickly baby blue walls with arms crossed.

"Yeah I was actually Brian."

"Twenty minutes," he spat out. "I am shocked C-Sec hasn't come yet. We must not have long."

Rachel's face was drained of color while staring at a white sheet of paper. An icy void filled his stomach realizing what it was.

"Is it hers," he asked, realizing Rachel, while Toby was passed out, tested the blood on the paper towel.

"Yeah, it is her blood Toby," Nashira answered. They both already knew what the answer was going to be, but it still hit him in the chest like a truck. What they could have done to her was beyond him and he didn't want to tread in those murky waters. Those words tore at him savagely, each one taking something from him. Getting her back was the priority, but all of them had no idea where she was and _if_ she was still alive. The amount of blood was enormous; closing his eyes he can see the scarlet blossoms staining the sheets and pedals of blood scattered across the floor. It enraged him, pouring fuel on a hot ember from the smoldering fire that has been resting in his chest for too long. The enemy, C-Sec and the Hunter, knew exactly what to attack which crippled Toby, almost pushing over the brink.

"Can I see the transmitter?" Rachel handed Toby a metal cup with a bloody pill resting at the bottom.

"I crushed it for you Toby so they can stop tracking us," Brian informed him.

"You said you don't have one because of that training accident, right?"

"Yeah, they took it out during surgery because my rib broke it on my fall." About a month ago, Brian was on a training exercise and he slipped off a ladder which broke his rib and in turn, the broken rib smashed the transmitter. "I _had_ an appointment to get a new one but it doesn't look like that is going happen, right?" Toby grinned back at him while sipping his water which Nashira refilled. Nashira's hands dusted his shoulders as she slipped his vest back on over the bandages followed by his t-shirt, which smelled like cigarette smoke. The noxious fumes were absolutely nauseating, eating away at his head and tying his stomach into a tight knot which only a dedicated sailor could untie. Toby opened his omni-tool and a green light blinked.

_Pira._

He tapped the light and her crackly voice exploded through the omni-tool startling everyone. Static enveloped her voice making it hard to make out what she was saying.

"Pira, I can barely hear you," Toby yelled over her frantic voice. Bits and pieces only came through and she sounded scared.

"Why is the omni network messing up, it should never be like that," Nashira asked, grabbing Toby's arm to troubleshoot the communication program, but her eyes tapered in bewilderment. "Rachel, does your school allow people to use omni-tools?"

"Yeah, we have a reliable network here, we have to."

"Are you sure?"

"What are you getting at Nash," Brian asked walking over to the door.

"We are being jammed."

Executor Kieran opened his pill bottle, carefully stuffed two capsules into his mouth, and flushed them down with water. He gave the order to shut down the opposition, C-Sec, that was gunning for Toby after Skave, one of the newest Spectres, barged into his office embarrassing him completely. Skave took him completely off guard with his aggressive tone and headfirst way of negotiating which left Kieran on the downhill. At least this Spectre was good, more than good, because hunting down Toby was going to take talent. Heiko knew his way around C-Sec law enforcement and he has successfully evaded the police for several hours and finally dropped off the radar completely after a raid in a sleazy section of the Wards and then again minutes after entering the UMS.

_What is he doing? _

Kieran was confident Skave would be able to find them. He knew that Skave wasn't using the tracking system all C-Sec officers had in their back because he was a natural hunter in both appearance and spirit. When he first saw Skave up close, he couldn't dismiss his rather narrowed head; it was longer than most turians and his snout was a bit larger. Also, he was a good five inches taller than Kieran and built like a tank. Even as a man with so much power, Kieran could feel an energy depriving aura around Skave, like a miniature black hole. He was powerful, that was for sure. Fighting back in that negotiation would have been the wrong thing to do. Kieran, being in C-Sec for close to thirty years, had a sixth sense about people and his gut told him that Skave was an aggressive, persistent, and egotistical being; someone who isn't good to verbally have a quarrel with.

Kieran slipped a computer in his bag and slung it over his shoulder heading down to C-Sec academy in the Wards. He wanted to oversee this operation for himself and call any shots if he needed to. Pushing under his chair and straitening a few data pads, he had a feeling Heiko was going to figure out he was behind this eventually and Keiran wanted to be surrounded by armed men all the time. Besides, he hasn't been to the C-Sec Academy in a long time and a visit was over do.

"Do you think it is him, the Hunter," Nashira asked nervously, double checking her pack for the pistol.

Toby jumped off the table and peeked through the door with a wave of fear crashing over him.

"I am not sure, how in the hell would Pira know he was here?"

"He has a point Nash," Brian chimed in. Rachel pulled her hair into a tight brown bun standing close to Brian as if something was going to pop out of the door and attack them.

"We need to get moving, I know they picked up on my location right before the surgery. Rachel, can you show us a way out of here?"

"Definitely." Rachel turned on the faucet while sticking the test results and bloody paper towel down the drain destroying all the evidence.

"Okay, is everyone ready to move," Toby asked. Brian flipped his shirt tail over the pistol nodding and Nashira grabbed her backpack, and slung it over her shoulders while Rachel dried off her hands. "Rachel, do you think you will be okay when we leave? Are you safe in the school?"

"Toby, what if whoever or whatever is coming after us knows Rachel is part of it," Brian asked, standing closer trying to protect her. Her eyes flashed with piercing fear, chilling Toby to the bone, but Brian was right. If they see Rachel with them, then they might start shooting at her. If it was the Hunter, then it will defiantly want to kill her, but the chances of it being here were slim. Either way, she was in danger.

"Okay, Rache, you will stay with us for the time being until I know you are safe, now let's go." The rubber grip of his compact pistol fit his hand like a glove. It was terrifying how comfortable he felt with a firearm, but at the same time, he was going to be protecting his wife and friends. Nothing was going to touch them; he made a promise to himself. Brian opened the door and a wave of warm air gushed into the room as they left that horrible operating room. The hallway was abandoned and the only sound was the hum of the city outside and the air conditioning buzzing harmlessly. Toby felt no presence of danger, but he knew someone or _something_ was waiting for him in this building. Lights bordered the ceiling like crown molding in the hallway, giving the building an animated appearance. Everything was so clean, so fresh, yet a monster or a black legion of CSSR lurked somewhere in the building leaving the air heavy with dread.

"Hallway clear, move it up."

Everyone followed Brian's order and walked into the windowed walkway, trying to look normal and blend with the crowd of college students except for Brian, who towered above them all like a mobile skyscraper. The bright sunlight hurt Toby's tender eyes which were still trying to dilate from the little unintended nap he had. It felt like he stapled on white, self illuminated contacts which were just there to blind him. Shaking his head trying to snap out of his torpid phase, he weaved around groups of salarians, who walked in packs, talking to each other about fertilization in short speedy sentences. Toby looked to his left seeing Nashira right by his side. She panned her head, scanning for danger and searching for CSSR or the Hunter. A garden swam past Toby outside of the windowed wall. It was centered in a courtyard as they hurriedly jogged towards an exit. Crushed white marble contained a milky colored stone sculpture which twisted a dozen feet in the air surrounded by a sea of green opulent grass. Students basked in the sun, all of which were wearing chic clothing and hats, reading books, writing, and socializing like nothing was wrong.

"Nash, notice how everyone is calm," Toby whispered loud enough to be heard over the clusters of students.

"I was noticing that; I don't think CSSR is here or they would have evacuated the building. That or either causing a lot of commotion like they usually do."

She had a point. A sudden realization bore down on him as they entered the large courtyard that was about fifty square meters. Something stopped him in his tracks. The peaceful environment turned suddenly hostile, like opening Pandora's Box. His hyperactive sixth sense picked up on something hurdling towards him with infinite velocity and mass, something dangerous, so dangerous, it had a gravitational pull to it and sucked the life out of him. Fear pulsed in his ears, rumbling as if a train were passing by. The chatter blurred together making a nauseating static as his senses reacted to danger, they had to get out of this courtyard. Whatever was tracking them wanted him to be right here, he could feel its eyes burning a spot on his face like a magnifying glass in the sun. The peace in this garden was something of a diversion, hiding the real threat that harbored in an ocean of fog somewhere close.

"What is wrong Toby?"

Nashira's voice shattered his concentration like a thinly spun ornament, snapping him back to reality.

"Something is…"

An explosion rippled through the courtyard, followed by the concussion which knocked the breath out of Toby and forced him to his knees.

_Ringing._

_All I can hear is ringing._

_I can taste blood, metal, and dust._

_Screaming?_

_Yes, that is screaming not ringing._

_My chest feels like it is caved in._

_My head feels like a balloon of blood ready to burst. _

Opening his eyes, a white cloud of cinders blanketed everything with its dusty shawls. A kid, not yet twenty, lay next to Toby with his shirt torn off from the blast. He coughed up vibrant red blood. He squinted and sputtered it on his dusty skin. He moaned and rolled over, writing in pain, yelling in a voice that sent chills racing up Toby's spine. He was so desperate and confused with seeing the blood roll down his chest, snowballing in the white dust that covered him. Scarlet blooms stretched open on his skin, hatching red buds from the gravel that peppered his body. Screams got louder and louder as the ringing dissipated to an ambient noise that was more of a nuisance now than anything else.

_The metallic taste._

_Where is everyone?_

_Where is my wife?_

Staggering to his feet, he realized what happened. A monster silhouetted in a turian outline slowly made its way through the cloud of dust, grabbing people by the throat, searching for his prey. Its form was large, at least half a foot bigger than Toby's which unleashed a primal fear and hate he felt only two times in his life. A groan emanated off to his left, distracting him as he pulled his pistol from under his left arm. Nashira was rifling through her bag, searching for something but that didn't matter. What mattered right now was taking down the Hunter.

_Aim at the center of mass .Two in the chest, one in the head .Get a bead centered on him. Squeeze the trigger don't pull. Arms locked. Safety off. Squeeze._

Through the clouds of dust and atomized marble, the Hunter's beady lifeless eyes locked onto Toby. They glimmered with endless hunger. Even staring down the barrel of a pistol didn't phase it. The Hunter thought it was indestructible and even though a bullet to the head has a high possibility of death, for a split second, Toby believed that not even he or his pistol could drop this…_thing. _A blue tongue of flame spat from Toby's firearm propelling a slug right on target. Even over the gunshot, Toby could hear his round slap against the Hunter's skin, crushing bone, blasting flesh, coagulating blood, and ripping organs with its ragged edges but like a nightmare, the Hunter didn't even budge or seemed concerned about his fatal wound to the chest.

_Oh God._

_Oh my God._

_I can't stop it!_

Toby raised his pistol again, this time aiming for the face before the Hunter could get what looked like a compact sub-machine gun shouldered. Toby could tell it wasn't wearing any protection or vest of any kind but that weapon he carried, what in the hell was it? A round snapped by his face from the Hunter and Toby frantically fired back grabbing Nashira by the arm and pulled her to cover. Balmy liquid trickled down his face as he slapped his back against the statue in the center of the courtyard. Now Toby had the advantage against his opponent with cover and with his confidence regaining, he spun around with a bead at chest level scanning the courtyard for the Hunter.

_Nothing._

_Where in the hell did it go?_

"Toby!"

_Brian's voice._

_Sounds nervous._

"Brian I am okay, move back to the exit while I cover you. Do you have Rachel?"

"Yeah!" Even though Toby couldn't see him, his voice came from the right somewhere. Glancing at Nashira, he saw her clasping onto a pistol which she brandished from her pack.

"Nash, follow Brian and remember how I taught you to shoot. Arms locked, thumbs pointing foreword, aim for the chest, squeeze not pull, and check the safety. You got it?"

"I am _not _leaving you!"

The determination in her voice was unmistakable and after seven long years living with her, he learned how stubborn quarians can be. There was no point in arguing. She held the pistol between her legs crouching, and then peeked around the right side of the enigmatic, twisting sculpture. God he loved her more than ever at that moment.

"Covering, Toby!"

At Brian's voice, Toby backed off the carved rock checking sectors of the courtyard. As much as he wanted to help everyone, he had to leave them, most of who were screaming in puddles of their own gore. Cold air tickled the nape of his neck as they stepped back into the building, into a temporary realm of safety. Nashira let go of his belt and looked around for any turians. Students who were peeking around the corner down the hall scattered quickly seeing three armed people charge into their safe school. Glass crunched under their feet as they stepped on bits of shrapnel and thumbnail sized rocks while backing up into the building, attempting to find an alternate route. Rachel was dazed; her face bled as she grappled onto Brian's meaty shoulder, struggling to keep on her feet. The concussion from the improvised explosive swirled the fluid in her cochlea, resulting in a horrible case of vertigo. Seeing her with that pathetic dazed look angered him and made his stomach sick. He wanted to kill the Hunter for doing this to her, to all of the students.

"We need to get out of this damn building now Toby. Rachel is hurt bad." For the first time, Toby looked at her and noticed blood growing under her arm which was dripping to the floor in a haphazard puddle.

"How bad is?" Rachel asked as they walked down the hall, following emergency fiber optic lighting embedded in the floor. If she was asking how bad it was, then surly she wasn't horribly injured. A cool voice came over the intercom calling a Cod Red, telling everyone to stay inside of their class rooms. The fiber optic lights disappeared with the administrators realizing there was no fire but an attack.

"Toby, where is the turian that attacked us," Brian called out over the blaring alarms.

"I don't know!"

Nashira slipped her hands under Rachel's good arm, taking her, so Brian could help protect the group.

"Shouldn't we get out of here before C-Sec shows up," Nashira asked desperately.

"That turian, was he not C-Sec?" Toby looked at Rachel and shook his head holding tightly onto his firearm.

"I shot him once so I don't think he will be chasing us." As the hallways cleared out, Toby had a daunting feeling that the Hunter was stalking them right now, figuring out its next move… or did it already have something planned out? Whatever was chasing them was relentless, like a beast from a nightmare that comes at you grabbing, clawing at you until you wake up after being brutalized by its mind-infiltrating powers. It suddenly got quiet when the only other sound resonating off the hard walls were the alarms, but they were not alone. It stalked its wounded prey, smelling the fear that evaporated from of their skin's pores, tracking them not by sight, but by scent and instinct. Toby spun around to check their backs as they entering yet another hallway. The only other thing behind them was a deep red trail of blood. He wanted to split up to confuse the monstrosity that was close behind, but that would only make their team weaker and this _thing _seems to know what is going on. It has complete control and infinite knowledge of its surroundings like a super predator.

"Take a left here, this goes into one of our bio labs and there is an exit at the end of the room," Rachel groaned. Toby put his back against the corner of the hallway listening for the Hunter's footsteps…if it had any. The hallway was quiet until Nashira finally picked the lock to the door pushing it open with force.

_Where did she get that skill? Maybe better if I not know. _

Toby peeked around the corner one last time before following the three, but he noticed a dark sliver poking out from one of the alcoves leading to a classroom door. Automatic weapon fire erupted from that dark sliver which ate the wall away by Toby's face. The accelerated pellets lashed the wall, spraying him with wicked shards of peeled acrylic which peppered his face. The feeling of getting shot at was personal. He felt the worst case of anxiety in his stomach, pushing it high into the chest as the bullets slapped into the wall. His vision flashed from shock and surprise. Ducking, he avoided the slugs that penetrated the wall and wanted to bite into soft flesh. Recovering quickly, Toby leaned around the corner in an attempt to get a shot off at it, but was pushed back by its incredible suppressive fire as it worked its way up the hallway. The compact submachine gun pressurized the air around Toby with the concussion of each shot, which felt like being slapped in the face with a warm towel and his sinuses flushed with jets of air.

_Back off, he has the higher ground._

_You have to live._

_Fight another day._

_Protect Nashira and get Gia back._

_Get Gia._

Toby crawled on his belly past the door. He kicked the door shut, but splinters of metal buzzed from it as the Hunter shot through it, attempting to get lucky with a bullet. White light pierced the holes in the door which poured through like aerated water fleeing from the Hunter's iniquitous atmosphere.

"Get down!"

The Hunter kicked open the door. Leaning from around the corner, it fired a single shot into the bio lab before Toby slammed the door with his all the force and weight in his body. Now, Toby was as close as he has ever been with this demon. He could hear it snorting and grunting like a bull. It unleashed plumes of hot smoke, ash, and fiery embers from its snout out of rage. He was shocked with the seemingly Biblical sight. The light from the other side of the door was blocked by its colossal, diabolical frame. Fear filled every cell in his body, drowning reasoning and everything that made humans civilized, changing to a beastly panic. Like Prometheus fighting against the chains that bound him to the mountain, Toby fought to keep the door closed, protecting his friends with his life, but the savage on the other side was stronger and better than him in every way. The fight was pointless and utterly one sided. It was going to get in no matter what, killing him, his friends, and Nashira. Over all the years of service, he has never met a foe like this, its power, skill, and intelligence was beyond his own pathetic comprehension. Its arm coiled past the open crack in the door grabbing at Toby relentlessly. It was trying to tear the flesh from his arm for its own pleasure and existence just like in nightmares. The grip was cold and dead, more like a machine than anything else powered by hydraulics, black oily gears, and twisted circuitry. Toby screamed in pain pushing with the rest of his force attempting to hold back the Hunter. But another scream sounded at the same time… a female's, swelled with fear, pain, and confusion.

_Nashira._

Suddenly, the breached dam he was pushing against let go of the door.

"Heiko!"

_What, that voice…it sounds familiar. Can it be, no, it can't._

Toby tore open the door and the sight took his breath away. Bosner was on top of the Hunter fighting for his life, trying to get his pistol pointed at the beast.

"Heiko, go, I will catch up to you. You have to protect Nashira, she is the only one..." he stopped mid sentence struggling with the enormous turian.

"Toby!"

This time it was Nashira's voice calling his name with urgency. Toby grabbed the Hunter's weapon and his pistol which slid under a desk. He ran into the dark room searching for his wife that was calling out to him. The room abruptly vented with light as the unmistakable sound of a door clicked open. The light at the end of the tunnel spread its golden winds, basking the sable room with urethral light which gracefully brushed its velvety fingers on all the polished surfaces. Busting outside, anxiety flogged his emotions fearing the worse. Brian lifted Rachel's body into his arms and a hole the size of a tangerine was blasted through her back with tendrils of fabric from her shirt twisting from the bloody maw like a dead tarantulas legs. Her screams were like banshees, contorted with pain and unbridled fear.

"Toby, she got shot," Brian screamed enraged, holding her chalky body,

"We have to set her down now Toby, we are going to kill her just by moving to safety," Nashira added, closing the door behind them. Now standing at the back of the building where cans of compacted garbage lined the building which were lying in plastic vacuum wrapped cubes, Toby could hear C-Sec sirens howling in the distance. They needed to leave now. Even with his mind racing, yearning for answers, Rachel, his neighbor and family member was dying with a ragged hole in the center of her body. Dazed and confused, he made a split second decision to carry her to a safe distance, and then told the others his plan.

"She isn't going to make it Toby if we do that."

Heiko stared at Brian with fire in his eyes.

"I just saw Bosner tackle the Hunter, he just saved my life, our lives but threw away his. I know that he isn't going to last long against the Hunter and _it_ will be coming for us and staying here, we will die. Do you hear those sirens Brian? They are coming for _us_!" Sensing a change in Toby that he didn't want to mess with, Brian nodded his head and walked down the ramp with Rachel screaming, clasping onto Brian's shirt staining it red like she was finger painting with Death's collection of stains. They ran several hundred meters down the back of the building, passing dozens of garbage containers when Rachel couldn't take it any longer.

"We need to put her down Toby," Nashira panted. He knew she was right; they had to put her down. He slung his backpack off rifling through it, searching for his blanket. Finding it, he spread it onto the ground behind one of the massive garbage cubes. She shuttered as Brian set Rachel on her side and grabbed Toby's first aid kit from his bug-out-bag, taking out a packet of bandages. Her brilliant white eyes were now red and bloodshot as her hand snaked into Toby's. The grip he felt from her was light and airy; it was pathetic. Life slipped out of the hole in her stomach in the form of a red pool of blood which saturated the blanket that Nashira pulled over her quaking shoulders.

"I am _so _sorry for dragging you into this Rachel," he whispered with guilt hitting him as strong as murder. He held her small soft hand tightly while brushing a wisp of brown hair out of her face so he could plead for forgiveness. A small smile cracked over her quivering lips forcing a fist though his throat with acid burning in his eyes. It was such an affectionate smile, one that would make even a stranger feel comfortable around her. It killed him to see something so beautiful go to waste.

"I liked helping you guys," Rachel lisped though a smile as delicate as a snowflake. The sentence tore Toby apart on the inside. She was like his child; they shared so many happy memories together. It wasn't fair, not at all. She didn't deserve this, any of it. Nashira sniffled and grabbed her other hand to comforting the dying girl who was going into shock from the barbaric wound. "Don't be sorry Mr. Heiko." Toby stared at her eyes as black flooded the brown. Her pupils expanded as she let out a long breath of air going limp.

_Murder. _

_I just murdered someone._

Brian's face was blank, expressionless, for he knew her as a good friend too. Nashira's shoulder drooped, not letting go of her still warm hand. This was the last thing he wanted to happen, god it killed him seeing her life slip through his fingers like a viscous liquid. His face stung with the chips of acrylic biting his skin, the Hunter's hand did some damage to his arm, the staples felt like they opened up and his shoulder was a mess. With Rachel dead, him almost not being able to move around, and Gia still missing with no idea where she could be, he came to the conclusion that they were losing against one ambiguous being…the Hunter.

Skave's fingers dug into this other human's neck. He pushed deep into his soft, supple flesh, strangling the life out of the human, but this alien was strong. Stronger than Skave thought humans were. It might be the human was fighting with his life. Skave he knew that they got stronger with adrenaline and something called hysterical strength, where their muscle output multiplies in dire situations. He has even read on the news about humans lifting several thousand pound objects to save their own lives or loved ones. He found it fascinating, scribing a mental note to this superhuman strength that humans gain in his study of other species to learn more about them so they are easier to kill. Skave could tell this human had hit hysterical strength because he matched Skave's typical power level. The wound wasn't helping in his chest either while fighting him, so Skave needed to use his head.

The brain.

Skave needed to take out this human by breaking open his head and destroying the brain. It was only a matter of time before the human would rip the tendons right off the bone, but by that time Skave would be dead. Wrestling with the handgun, pointing it away from his face, Skave let go of the human's thick throat momentarily to grab the pistol. He knew this antagonist would try to beat him senseless when he opened a gap for attack, but letting him get a few shots off him wouldn't matter if Skave got the human's gun. Meaty fists pounded Skave's face as he let letting go of the alien's soft neck and grabbed for the pistol. The spikes on the back of his head shattered to splinters as the human got a good hit off him, almost bringing the turian unconscious, but Skave could feel the ceramic firearm slip from the human's hand and he grabbed it, pressing it against the human's head and punched the trigger. With ears ringing, the human grabbed Skave's hand going for the weapon _still_ alive. Seeing his mistake, Skave stared at the man's jaw which was dangling by a shredded cheek and he quickly pulled the trigger again, blasting gore on the wall which dropped the man like a heavy sack _finally_ dispatching him. Skave's healthy heart drummed in his ears after the vicious fight that almost took his life.

_My head._

He spun around on his elbows to notice shards of bone scattered on the floor from the spikes on his head he adored so much because of their attractive length. The human laying next to him was wearing blue C-Sec fatigues stained in crimson blood, but Skave noticed the CSSR emblem blazing over his right breast which was now being flooded by a red river. The human's left eye slowly twisted in its socket loosely from the destroyed muscles caused by the slug traveling at five kilometers a second. All the gore didn't bother him. The turian stood up, scanned the human's arm with his omni-tool, gathering identification, and began to hobble out of the school when he heard sirens outside. Although his plan was a failure, he managed to make some success out of it through this risky operation.

When he was at Toby Heiko's apartment, he caught a whiff of fear swirling in the room that wasn't his. Upon further investigation while sneaking around, he almost entered Heiko's office but there was something…no, someone inside of the small room. His first instinct was to find the being and dispatch it after realizing it wasn't a C-Sec officer. Shallow breaths could be heard from behind Heiko's large desk resembling a female human who sounded like she was in her early adult stage of life. Being a hunter, Skave left her in the room with a window to escape giving him a chance to follow her. While sitting on Heiko's bed, Skave put two and two together realizing that the female in his apartment had to be the human female in the pictures he destroyed. Analyzing the pictures before eviscerating them, he had the feeling they had a close relationship and there was a slim chance that this human could be helping Heiko out with something.

Her light footsteps reached Skave's ears as she sprinted out of the building terrified of him. He grinned at her pathetic escape knowing she was making a fatal mistake through her ignorance of his skills. With the office cleared and the apartment to himself, Skave made note of this Donny person who appeared to be Nashira's boss and stuffed it in the back of his mind for later use if he had to bring it back out again. He flicked on the lights and poked through Heiko's stuff picking up useful information. He had little time before he lost track of the female, so he took pictures with his photographic memory of useful info and chased after the girl who led him to the Citadel's most prodigious medical university.

But where did this other human come from, the one that attacked him out of nowhere? Skave specifically asked Kieran to halt C-Sec's further investigation on Toby Heiko, it didn't make any sense. The human did have a Citadel Security Special Response emblem on his chest, the same branch Toby was in. Does Heiko have more friends inside of C-Sec? Whatever the case was, Kieran was at fault, he knew it. A warm sensation batted off his rage thinking about his small victory he had just achieved with Heiko. Skave felt he knew Heiko on an intimate level now, picking up on his train of thought and more importantly his weaknesses. Before losing his weapon against his highly trained adversary, he was able to get one last shot off at the girl he was able to track and after gathering information at Heiko's apartment; he knew this girl as Rachel Hartmann, an aspiring medical student and a close friend to Heiko. Toby was physically and mentally strong, there was no doubt about that, but Skave knew about Heiko's loss seven years ago with his wife Rena who carried a baby in her rancid womb. Being the ultimate predator, Skave was a professional with finding weaknesses and exploiting them. Heiko was strong, yes, but failure concluding with loosing someone close to him again can cripple this mere mortal. Everyone has a breaking point.

He already planted a seed of fear in Heiko's brain and now, Skave just gave it the perfect amount of water and nutrients to make it grow into remorse, depression, pain, and failure, allowing the seed to sprout, spreading its barbed tendrils deep into his subconscious. Eventually it was going to fester to the point where he was going to break or give up entirely. Either that or Skave was going to kill him. Firing that one bullet into Rachel Hartmann's back was the beginning of the end for Heiko. Skave has found Heiko's weakness and has attacked it by killing a close friend to him. Knowing Heiko, he was going to blame this loss on himself for it truly was his fault for letting her die. This was good, very good indeed.

Skave's breath was shortened by a jet of white hot pain jumping its way from his chest to his kidneys. Sapphire blue blood trickled out of the wound in his chest. Now away from the hungry crowds of curious onlookers, Skave found himself in an alley, away from the excitement surrounding the university. Usually, this alley would be busy with college students coming back from lunch, taking a back road towards their school, but he was alone as the lights and sirens swallowing up the student's attention leaving him by himself. The metallic walls and floor of the slim pathway was lined with several benches and holographic monitors, which were displaying the breaking news. Now the alley was empty which letting him tent to his wounds. He spread a generous amount medi-gel on his finger and plunged it into the slick gyrating wound's mouth, which resembled aggravated wet pursed lips. Lights flashed through his eyes which were heavily laced with sharp cold pain as the muscles sucked and slurped at his finger, licking off the milky gel with balloons of bloody fat and strands of ripped muscle scraping against his finger like a newborn's glistening tender gums.

The wound thanked him for the gel, consuming it in a gluttonous manner as the painkiller's warmth spread throughout his body with each torn nerve pushing its split ends into the gel which resembled a pillow of balmy honey. Blood rushed to Skave's head with an almost sexual appeal which tickled his face delicately and cleared out his sinuses. The wound wasn't as bad as he expected. The leather jacket he wore saved his life, spreading most of the slug's kinetic energy into tough leather instead of in his flesh. It acted like a perfect dampener letting the slug punch through only several inches of meat which missed bones and organs. Skave could say he had luck on his side but then again, Skave didn't believe in such idiocy. Being a turian, his metabolism was fast and he needed food to help the wound heal faster. Heiko was long gone and wasn't worth chasing with all the police around, he was going to avoid them at all cost. He was trained but Skave was better. Eventually, Heiko was going to slip and get noticed. Right now, he needed to worry about himself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Nashira grabbed Toby's blood smeared hand. She passed him an encouraging squeeze, trying to lighten up his dark mood. Knowing him on the most intimate level, she knew he was drowning in a pool of guilt and attempting to keep his head above the relentless choppy waters. This simple gesture was like a life vest inflating to save his life. Over the past three years, Rachel has been like another daughter to both of them; Nashira could even say she loved her without even thinking about it. Gia loved Rachel like a sister that she never had too.

_Gia._

Rachel's pale face stared lifelessly up at Nashira's, and looked past her at something far beyond anyone's reach. It left a strong grip of angst inside her and she couldn't uncurl its cold fingers. Staring at Rachel was horrible, yet baffling. Rachel was alive minutes ago, but now, she was gone. No one was ever going to be able to talk to this beautiful young girl again. Never hold a conversation with her and find out what kind of person she was.

She was gone.

Never going to see her again.

_Never._

The word _never _was strong. Nashira felt hot tears brimming on her eyelids; she was holding so much terror and sorrow inside it was almost crushing. It _was _crushing, but this angst held back the tears from within. She wanted to just let it all out right here, right now, but this arbiter inside held back the sobs. It was saving her from being defeated…accepting defeat as she would have, but this force was pushing her foreword with both hands. Attention still focused entirely on Rachel, she packed the terror and sadness to the back of her mind. Seeing a dead body was very uncommon for her, except for today. On two other occasions she has seen a dead body. One time several years ago, a human was stabbed when Toby and her came out of a movie, and she also saw a horrible accident on the flotilla close to a dozen years ago when she was repairing a ship's hull and a several ton piece of ablative plating crushed one of the workers. A dead person always left their mark on Nashira; she could feel an empty void deep in her chest whenever she dwelled on the thought. A life being taken was hard to comprehend. Toby on the other hand, Keelah bless him. He has been through so many agonizing and traumatic experiences which she learned through some of the stories he shared with her when he woke from nightmares or just felt like talking about them. Her husband's face was drained with life before her as he pulled Rachel's milky eyelids closed and placed two hands upon her chest. Although he had attractive dark skin, Nashira noted the dark color was being invaded by a bleak storm front. He was hurting on the inside, maybe even dying. Taking her hand, she ran a finger across his shoulder blades lightly in an attempt to comfort him in some way.

He stood up and slipped the pistol in the back of his pants then slung the strap of the Hunter's compact weapon on his unwounded shoulder, concealing it under the leather jacket he has owned since the first day Nashira met him. Nashira grabbed his two outstretched hands as she was pulled to her feet.

"Nash." Keelah she loved when he said that, the shortened name made her feel special, loved, and wanted. "We have to move." His voice had a meager tremble to it while holding back the vast river of motions. Holding both his hands, she let him pull her away from the dead body of her good friend… one of her family members.

"What about Rachel, Toby?" Heiko stared into her wide glistening eyes. The fact that he stared directly into her eyes while he spoke to her sent a euphoric sensation all over her body. Being a quarian, she was used to be treated like a subspecies, vermin even; she was a being, just like everyone else. Everyone thought she was a space gypsy who fled from her real life aboard the flotilla, escaping the claustrophobic rusting bulkheads in search for a destiny she could never reach. Carefully watching his every move, Tony opened his omni-tool.

"Pira, you there?"

"Is the jamming gone," Brian asked, moving down the backstreet of the university moving towards the city away from the sirens…and Rachel.

"Yeah it's gone," Heiko said with pain prevalent in his meek voice. Still logged into the same communication channel, Nashira heard a voice crackle through then become as smooth as glass.

Toby squeezed Nashira's two hands dearly, protecting her from the Hunter or whatever was going to be thrown at them next. Pira's voice crackled then became smooth responding immediately.

"By the Goddess are you all okay?" Pira's usually hearty voice was hissing through harsh cacophonous whispers.

_Are you all okay?_

The questions rang in his ears like a bell relentlessly. No, they were not okay, not at all. How could she be so stupid, why would she asked that idiotic question?

"No, we lost Rachel, the girl you were helping navigate through the apartment on the phone," he spat back.

There was an exasperated gasp on the other line. Nashira's grip tightened reassuring him; without his wife, not even Brian's charismatic attitude could hold him together. Feeling like a dry dirt clod disintegrating in the powerful hands on the Hunter, Nashira was like water, rejuvenating him so he could maneuver around the Hunter's threatening hand to slip between his fingers and get another chance to live.

"The person after us is a turian Pira. He is highly trained," Toby fed her.

"Who do you think _it_ is? A mercenary? An assassin? Another Special Response agent after you?" Heiko sighed hoping she had some sort of answer for this.

"We are not sure Pira," Brian answered back.

"Toby, Bosner is coming to help you. I tried to warn you but our channel was jammed. Did he rendezvous with you? I thought you were going to kill him on sight if he caught your eye."

"Bosner," Brian stated solemnly. Toby looked at his friend and nodded.

"He was the one that saved our lives," Toby informed both Brian and Nashira again whose bodies went rigid with yet another onslaught of confusion thinking about it more. Nashira knew who Bosner was from several family outings and picnics CSSR groups would organize, along with their encounter earlier this morning when she tried bludgeoning him to death with her bag. Everyone was silently waiting for Toby to fill them in on more details while slipping past the university's garbage runway and into a back alleyway that ran at least one-hundred meters ending at a busy street.

"I was fighting the Hunter and kept it from coming inside of the room we were in." Toby left out the fact that the turian was stronger, better, and almost possessed with a sheer brutish vitality. "Bosner came out of nowhere and tackled the turian." What Bosner said to Heiko echoed in his brain and bounced around like a hot pinball. "He said, 'You have to protect Nashira, she is the only one'." Toby glanced at Nashira noticing her stance wavered subtly.

"What does that mean Toby," Nashira asked startled.

"I don't know honey."

"Bosner said he held some information that he had to share with you personally Toby, something about getting you off the station. He knew what was up but didn't share any information with me," Pira snapped frustrated. "He was arguing with Komani earlier then came to me."

"Is there anything else you can share with us Pira," Brian asked. "Anything?"

"It feels like they are covering their steps up carefully. All of the high ranking officers seem on edge."

What Pira told him solidified Toby's theory that he was set up. Did Komani have her hand in the cookie jar too? She never had a problem with Heiko or any of the other human's in CSSR, but it appeared they were cleaning house. Cugasi, Bosner, Toby, and Brian were on the run and they were the only four humans in Special Response's small task group. How far up the chain was this going? Brian's brow furrowed with a slightly nervous look on his rugged face trying to figure this out. Was the Hunter a C-Sec agent? The thing was, Heiko is at the top of the food chain with skill. No one except for Vikar and several other turian's were as good as him, but the Hunter was on a totally different level. Suddenly, a seed sprouted in his stomach and hatched a monstrous fetus which tried to bore its way out of his stomach as he finally realized what was going on. He knew what was hunting them. A wave of hot fear coiled around his body like a molten python crushing his mentally stable mind into a panic. His scalp started prickling as his vision blurred finally fitting the pieces of the puzzle together. With two shaky hands, he pulled out the firearm slung over his shoulder. The weapon was black with recessed lights which blazed red, like a demon's eyes in a stagnant, thick shadow. Toby's dark eyes read the laser-engraved text in the ceramic.

_HMWC-X_

"Oh God."

Toby collapsed to the ground letting the weapon clatter to the floor.

"Toby?"

Both Nashira and Brian crouched to his side but he didn't notice them. His brain was clouded in a syrupy haze of primal fear.

"They sent a Spectre after me."

Even saying those few words, they impacted his life like a bullet shattering a pane of glass. Words have never brought him to his knees; the closest a sentence had other than this one was Nashira's _Yes Toby, I love you and I would love to grow old with you _when he asked her to marry him. Toby realized he wasn't going to grow old; today was probably going to be his last day with a Spectre gunning for him with an infinite craving for a hunt.

Brian picked up the carbine and read the lettering. HMW meant it was Spectre gear, the C probably meant Carbine and the letter X stood for prototype. Toby has never seen, shot, or held a Spectre weapon in person. Although he has read about them in Popular Mechanics, a magazine Nashira got hooked on while at the doctor's office when shifting through the pile of holopads all waiting rooms have. There were less than one-hundred Spectres in the Council and each one was not trained to kill but was born to kill. They were legendary, almost myths, and with one wanting to take his life was the absolute worst news Toby could bear at the moment.

"Pira?"

The asari on the other line stuttered slightly.

"Y-yes Toby?"

"Is there any way you can hack into the Council's files and retrieve information on this Spectre for us?"

He could hear her blue fingers typing fiercely into the keyboard.

"No, but I will try anyways, Toby."

"Can you get into the monitoring and tracking system to see if Bosner in okay?"

"Nope, they have that on lockdown. I almost got caught half an hour ago, not going to risk it again."

"Okay, thanks. Stay in contact with us, I am going to need your help soon Pira," Toby informed her and gathered the courage to stand up with the help of Brian's fleshy hands. The plan he formed in his head was insane, but they were out of options with their backs against the wall and staring down the barrels of their executers. So far, he has come out of two different encounters with the Hunter alive, although with each incident, it has done sustainable damage. This, however, wouldn't keep his morale from bursting through the roof because he knew on both occasions he would be dead if his friends didn't come and aid against his life threatening struggles. Toby didn't even know if Bosner was still alive although his acute sixth sense told him the Hunter prevailed. But what about the wound he inflicted on the Hunter? After shooting him, the slug didn't even alter its stoic facial expressions; its face should have been twisted and contorted with a mask of pain, but there was nothing. Toby held a hand up to his ear and felt the slippery jagged edges of cartilage prodding his fingertips. The Hunter shot him but missed by an inch, biting a chuck off his ear. It stung but his other wounds prevailed over the minor ones. His back reopened, his face was on fire when getting peppered with shavings of acrylic, his collar bone was hurting, and the muscles on his arm were almost pulled off.

"So do you have a plan, Toby," Brian asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yesterday evening at the Interstellar Shot Glass, do you remember Stitch telling us there was a Spectre on the Citadel?"

Nashira cocked her head curiously with her heart being pushed up by confidence, sensing a plan coming together.

"Yeah I remember."

"I know Stitch, he always has information and it is as good as the Shadow Broker's at times without the expense." Toby knew Brian was one step ahead of him knowing the plan.

"I am guessing we are going to find Stitch," Nashira chimed in, her voice leaking excitement.

"Yeah, but that place is crawling with C-Sec all the time, Toby," Brian added nervously.

"Not necessarily."

Toby grinned formulating his plan.

Kieran stroked his compact computer through the thick fabric of his satchel nervously. Colossal buildings zipped by the window as the taxi soared through the sky towards the C-Sec academy. It has been a while since he's been here and the memories were not all that good. His early days in C-Sec were exhilarating while spending his younger years as a patrol officer after serving two years in the turian military and then going to officer school. He rose through the ranks, quickly being promoted to officer at a young age and got involved in politics. Discovering this was a strength of his, he had the goal of making C-Sec Executor. He assumed that role just five years ago but recently, he was struck with muscle dystrophy which surprisingly enough hasn't had a cure created for it. Turian culture was brutal for Kieran, because they based a lot of their respect off appearance and Kieran's figure was nowhere near impressive.

Over the past couple of years, he has been looked down upon all over the Citadel. Every week there seems to be a comic about him in the news and the artists always draws him as a weak, stupid looking being. The comics bothered him at first, but he added logic into the equation and now he has immunity to their annoying pestilence. In politics, one uses their brain to fight and not their brawn, which made him a formidable opponent. His taxi shuddered, piercing the kinetic barriers of the landing bay that kept the precious gas from spilling into the zero atmosphere outside. His turian driver nodded as Kieran stepped out of the taxi making his way towards the morgue and forensic section of the C-Sec academy while being saluted the whole way. Finally, he ended up in an elevator. Luckily, he was the only one in the cramp glass box that hurdled through the academy. He never enjoyed the attention he received when coming down to the academy, which kept him at bay and locked up in his usual office on the Presidium. The elevator shot past windows that looked over the city, but was blocked every thirty meters by I-beams which forged a strobe like sensation.

As the elevator slowed, his body was pushed forward and the doors hissed open blasting warm air in his face. His beady eyes darted across the expansive atrium searching for the morgue when his eyes caressed a blue holographic sign reading _Forensics. _This section of the academy was busy with all the commotion from yesterday and today. Turians and asari intermingled with salarians walked about the halls, all clasping data pads and staring intensely at them. Kieran walked to the morgue without anyone taking notice of him. Closing the door behind him, cool air swirling over him like a frigid cape while finally entering his destination. A single salarian stood up from a desk with his mouth open slightly, confused at the sight before him, finally realizing his appointment. Kieran tried having a conversation with this salarian named Wanir something-or-another. He lost focus after the salarian told his whole name which was a sentence worth, so he decided to just call him Wanir. His dark, almost ebony skin was speckled with radiant green along with blazing orange eyes which matched his energetic personality that could power a whole city.

"Executor. Greetings. Are you ready to meet or erm…see the casualties?"

Over the phone, Keiran couldn't make out Wanir's speedy dialect, but in person, it was much easier. The Executor extended his meek hand shaking Wanir's like he was on drugs or overdosed on caffeine. To say the least, it was an awkward exchange. The small room they were in was just large enough to hold ten people at the most. Chairs bordered the wall and Wanir's desk was at the front. It reminded him of a classroom back in the days of his youth.

"Bring me in Wanir, I have to meet up with someone after this. Let's make it fast."

"Indeed." The salarian nodded his head in an erratic motion like he was trying to break his own neck. His shaky hands wrapped around the steel door handle pushing it open and the temperature dropped significantly. White columns of hot air spilled from both their noses, twirling in the frigid air like a dancer performing in a long white robe. The room was large and cold in appearance, its atmosphere depriving Kieran of happiness and life with its stark colors of steel and white tiles. Six metal trays were poised next to each other holding the naked bodies of four turians, an asari, and a salarian. Seeing the dead turians angered the Executor. He clenched his jaw in pure frustration.

_This should have never happened Vikar._

"Yes yes. Here is the asari of the group. Yes. She suffered fatal cranial damage."

Kieran stared at the naked body, analyzing her head which was deformed and bloated in appearance. All the blood was wiped away from the face, but there was the outlined tip of a pistol stenciled in her skin. A sour smell seeped from her mouth which was locked open by rigor mortis and oozed the stale undigested scent from the food in her stomach as the bacteria festered like a biblical plague. He could tell her skull was shattered as her head was misshapen. The dark blue skin was now a pale blue from the loss of blood and life, toes curled up, breasts flat, and fingers erect in all sorts of wicked shapes while lying on her back. She was a mess.

"Suspect hit her in face with firearm. Instantaneous death. Went quickly. Salarian here suffered head wound with pistol slug." A small hole was present on the dead salarian's forehead with an exit wound the size of a fist in the back. Dried green blood caked his small nostrils and formed a crust on the corners of his mouth. Kieran noticed the dead salarian didn't even affect Wanir, but left a look of pity on the salarian's face. The next three turians splayed out on the cold slabs of metal suffered gunshot wounds in the face and center of mass, but it was the last turian that bothered Kieran the most.

Vikar's body.

The only part of his head that was present was the lower jaw with his jagged sharp teeth protruding like ivory stalagmites.

"This one. Captain Vikar," the salarain read with no emotion while grabbing the paper tag tied around one of Vikar's toes, "Suffered extensive head trauma from blunt object. Was something metal. Found splinters of stainless-steel in remains of cranium. Would you like to see?" The salarian pointed at a sealed bucket that carried the rest of Vikar's head. Revolted by the idea, Kieran shook his head quickly seeing Wanir grabbing for it. "Also had broken elbow." Kieran stared at Vikar's twisted arm locked in place by rigor mortis.

"Okay, I am satisfied now," Kieran whispered revolted. He stared at the asari's body. "Now please cover them up, thank you." Repulsed, Kieran sped out of the room fighting back the urge to purge his lunch. Making his way into the elevator, he wondered why he felt like that around the dead bodies. Over the many years, he had seen dozens of dead people, but for some elusive reason, those six bodies really bothered him. Was it because a human did this? Maybe. His quaking finger pressed the level for Citadel Security Special Response and the elevator shot off into the distance with a heavy fist of vertigo clutching his stomach. The small screen in the elevator was going over some breaking news about terrorist activities at one of the medical universities. If this was Heiko's or Skave's doing, he was going to have a fit, but he will be able to cover it up with Heiko to blame. He was the _perfect_ scapegoat. Now he had to get to the CSSR's nerve center, he had some things to discuss with Komani, very important things.

Fatigue, stress, and pain were crushing Toby, pushing him to the brink. Walking in a straight line was as hard as balancing oneself on a thread of dental floss. The explosion in the courtyard knocked him to his knees which banged them up really bad. With each step, he could feel his kneecaps grinding against raw bone and his tendons felt brittle, like thinly spun glass. But what was taking more of a toll on him was the ever present thought of where Gia, his daughter, was and if she was okay. His vivid imagination replayed the horrifying image of Gia mask-less, breathing the tainted air with bacteria that embarking a great proliferation to seize control of her precious little lungs, just to crush the life out of her.

God the blood, so much of it.

He could have taken the sheets off her bed and squeezed the lustrous liquid into a glass and get away with serving it as a generous serving of wine. He had to get her back no matter the cost. Toby was willing to risk everything, even his own life to give her a chance to live life to the fullest; just looking into her eyes, he knew she wanted to grow up and explore. A fist clogged his throat thinking about growing old without her. Daddy wanted to see her get go to college, get married, watch her grow big, take her to the park in the Presidium Ring, and most of all, cradle her petite body in his yearning arms one last time. Hold her hand in the palm of his hand and listen to her breathe while falling asleep.

It was painful to think about it.

"Toby, we are almost there," Brian bellowed over the bustling flotilla of people who jammed in the street. He snapped out of his thoughts noticing Nashira's hand was woven with his, her thumb caressing his knuckles. The Ward arms they were at right now were covered with forty-five degree angled glass sheets. They spanned over one-hundred meters and looked out on to the tips of the arms which curved up slightly and hummed with life. The ceiling was a good fifty meters above their heads, this way automobiles couldn't fly in these parts. The sweet smell of water curled under his nose as he could hear a fountain thundering in the distance. Food also raked his senses which stirred his stomach and forced him to clench his hand into a tight fist.

"I am hungry too Toby," Nashira cooed, her helmet picking up on his stomach's muffled murmurs. He grinned, feeling his parched mouth sticking to his slick teeth like an adhesive. They passed round tables that sat outside of restaurants which were flooded with aliens, all chattering over dishes of food that sat on top of water stained glass table tops, each one holding salt, pepper, and napkin containers along with some kind of milky substance turians like to dump on their food. Seeing human condiments mixed with turian ones gave him a sense that humans were beginning to make a scene on the Citadel. Whether it was good or bad, it felt more like home in a sense. Spending twenty-one years in Philadelphia, Toby got used to the human way of living. The famous city was a cultural hub and was one of the first cities to undergo the Human Modernization Project, which cleaned up the streets, made the cities safer, cleaner, and updated the architecture.

Brian barged through the crowds of people, parting them like the Red Sea having the same intimidating effect as a krogan. Heiko was positive C-Sec would have caught him by now. The security on the Citadel was almost impossible to avoid for more than fifteen minutes. They have been on the run for hours now while avoiding C-Sec. But the Hunter was still on their tails, he could _feel_ it. They had to pick up the pace. They had to find Gia. Brian slowed, pulling Nashira towards a clean alleyway that had more shops on it. Toby looked up and saw the unmistakable cobalt blue panoramic windows of the Interstellar Shot Glass overlooking the city several stories up out of the forty-five degree angle glass ceiling. Toby's heart raced, noticing four, no, _five _C-Sec personnel standing next to the front door smoking and laughing.

"So Toby, what is this plan of yours. Now would be a good time to tell us, well, because we need to get past these guys."

Toby looked at Brian then at Nashira who was curiously peeking around the corner, her eyes nothing but slim ellipses. Toby powered on his omni-tool connecting to Pira's network.

"Pira, you there?"

"Right here Toby, are you guys there yet?"

"Roger that, I need your assistance now."

"Anything."

"There are five C-Sec personnel standing outside the Interstellar Shot Glass and I need them to move. Is there any way that you can pull that same trick we used with Rachel?"

"I don't like using the same gig twice Toby," she whispered with a hint of humor trying to lighten up the mood.

"Let me guess, it is not classy for the almighty Pria," Brian chirped while cracking a grin and going along with it.

"You got it."

Nashira shook her head amused but antsy. Toby found the tactic of lightening up the mood ineffective while still frowning just wanting to get this over with.

"Give me a second to locate these units and send them off on a wild goose chase…if that is how the human saying goes. Please hold," she added lightheartedly. Toby took his hand away from the clear earpiece and stared at the units like trying to move them with raw brain power. The turian of the group touched his ear, said something to the others, and then sprinted down the street.

"Move," Toby ordered coldly. The cut on his back shot a hot jet of pain up his back turning his muscles to jelly. Although the medi-gel was healing his skin at an amazing speed, it was still raw and exposed chafing against the bandages. (Failing to block out the pain, he could feel his teeth move subtly from clenching his jaw tightly. Crossing the street, they walked into the lower lobby of the bar. Suddenly, he realized what an idiotic and irrational plan this really was. Almost half of the occupants in the atrium wore blue C-Sec outfits. It felt like he walked in there naked. He could feel each person's heated gaze boring a hold into his vulnerable form. They were on the first tier of the bar, the lower level which served as the casual dining area and held an elaborate lobby riddled with water walls which were spouting liquid down the five story wall colored by blue LED's. Toby knew going up to the bar gave him a one-hundred percent chance of getting caught and arrested because that is where all the cops liked to crowd around. He had a plan but thinking over it, it only worked in the Vids. It was silly, but there was a good chance of it working like it did in countless films he has seen. Pulling Nashira and Brian to the side, he explained in detail how it was going to work.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Skave sat at a table pushing the last piece of food into his mouth not even bothering to chew. The medi-gel was doing its job alongside Skave's metabolism. A tingling sensation percolated through his chest as it healed at an incredible pace. He _was_ unstoppable. The wound was healing quickly and the damage done wasn't as life threatening as he thought. Fighting without kinetic barriers was risky, although walking around in full combat gear was an idiotic thing to do, especially in civilian areas. Parsimoniously, Skave mopped up the juices sitting on the plate with the equivalent of turian bread plunging it into his mouth, licked his slick fingers, and belched. His body was healing…fast. Turians were the predominant species in this bar, all of whom were eating their lunches at an early hour before heading back to work dressed in formal clothing. Wearing a black shirt, the blood stains weren't that noticeable as was the small hole in his black leather jacket the size of a pen tip. The bar was in a nice part of town that was being overrun by the humans, although it seemed the turians still had a firm grip on it. Sitting at the back of the restaurant, he scanned the crowd of Ron's bar looking for a human face that matched the appearance of Donald McGamery, otherwise known as Donny, Nashira's boss.

Nashira's heart thumped in her ears as she nervously ascended the stairs to the second level of the Interstellar Shot Glass. Cobalt light splashed over her and everything else from the massive panoramic window looking over the Citadel's Ward arms. A good thirty kilometers was stretched out before her with the ambrosial amber lights coming through as a seraphic azure. C-Sec officers littered the stairs, all clenching liquor glasses filled a quarter of the way with alcohol and three unclouded, flawless cubes of ice making the glass perspire beads of infinitesimal chilled sweat. People stared awkwardly at her, not used to seeing quarians anywhere, especially at a bar. But it was none of their business; they all had more important things to converse over than a lost quarian roaming about their lair. Nashira put her head down and pushed both shoulders in making herself a smaller target towards the hungry prying eyes of curious onlookers.

Then she saw it. A crescent shaped bar wrapped around the back wall of the top level stuffed full with hundreds of vials containing alcohol illuminated by backlight that sifted through all the colors know to the visible spectrum. Salarians, turians, asari, and a single human male sat at the bar, all hunkered over their cups of alcohol, twirling them on the slick frosted glass counter top. She knew her plan, it was simple enough. Looking around, the quarian's curiosity got the better of her. She gazed at the panes of chicly shaped glass haphazardly jutting out of the ground. The cut edges of the glass caught the light that was being projected from below. Reds, pinks, greens, blues, yellows, and oranges filled the glass like a dyed flood.

_The mission. Stay focused._

Walking towards the bar, she spotted an empty seat, the only one left unoccupied. Luck was on her side. Her stomach tightened up and both hands had tremors of anxiety as she sat down on the plastic ergonomic seat. The human man next to Nashira shot a confused glance at the quarian sitting next to him. Nashira fired off a small friendly wave, squinting so it looked like she was smiling flirtatiously at him. Toby told her to act as attractive as she could then said if she did, any human was going to get curious and she was easily going to grab his attention. She brought her arms up on the table and clenched her fingers together in a ball on the bar flashing her curves at the human. Blushing, she could feel his eyes scanning her voluptuous form like a hot pen tracing her outline.

_Act interested._

"The music is nice in here," she started off, cocking her body towards him, slightly cringing at the cheesy start off line. He was handsome and she noticed there was no ring on his finger. His green eyes flickered against the olive skin as he ran a calm hand through his black shaggy hair a bit nervously. She noticed he was swallowing her bait without chewing.

"I know, I like it a lot too," he shot back flashing his white teeth. "If you don't mind me asking, do quarians have their own music? I have never heard it before." Nashira lightly stroked her hood with a delicate finger.

"We used to make beautiful music until we were exiled three-hundred years ago." She sighed, no longer acting anymore. "I wish we still made it."

"Sorry for my ignorance, I didn't mean to touch that subject, I know it is sensitive to you," he said back apologizing.

"Oh, it's fine…" she drew out her sentence while leaning forward and waited for his name.

"Harvey. Harvey Rucosi."

Nashira slipped her hand into his shaking it.

"Neama, nice to meet you Harvey," she purred rolling the _r _through her accent. "I have some quarian music on my omni-tool if you would like to give it a listen." Harvey's eyes went wide with honest excitement making Nashira feel somewhat ashamed.

"Yeah, definitely!"

Nashira caught a glimpse of Stitch, the volus bartender, who was shaking up some drinks two seats to her left. She needed to get him over here, now.

"Neama, would you like a drink? I know they serve quarian alcohol here but I… I'm not sure how you drink it."

"Yes, I would love a drink and I can explain to you how my suit works…that is if you would like to know," she said, then finished with an unsure whisper, biting her lower lip all while pulling him deeper into her act.

"That would be nice Neama," he smoothly told her genuinely interested in the quarian suit. Nashira feel even guiltier. Harvey seemed like a legitimately nice man. "Excuse me bartender, could I please place an order?"

_Keelah, he even has nice manners, I was hoping to find a pig of a human. Keelah. _

The egg-shaped bartender waddled towards the two, staring at Nashira then at Harvey.

"Greetings quarian, I hardly see your kind in here. It is good to see another suited friend walking around these streets," Stitch charismatically acknowledged Nashira. "How may I help you human?"

"Neama, what would you like? On me."

"A nice Earth clan I see, your kind comes in many different personalities. I like seeing the 'ladies first' being used around these parts. That, my friend, is how you pick up women."

Nashira could see Harvey blush.

"You choose for me. I must admit, I don't know much about alcohol," Nashira proposed.

"Ah, I have something special for you Neama. What about you Harvey."

_He is a good bartender. He picks up on conversations around him easily. _

"Scotch please, hold the ice."

The round volus poured the mahogany colored liquid into a short glass and slapped it on the table for Harvey.

"Oh! May I see that Harvey?"

"The glass?"

"Yeah."

Nashira grabbed the glass to stare at the liquid curiously, and then fumbled it onto Stitch which drenched him with the expensive scotch.

"Oh Keelah, I am so sorry!"

"Bah, don't worry about in Neama." Desperately, she grabbed some napkins while reaching over the bar and attempted to dab up the mess on Stitch. "Excuse me for a moment, I must wash this off. Alcohol does wonders to my suit, and I mean that in the most negative manner. Neama, I will be right back with your dink." Stitch shuffled down the stairs and headed right towards the bathroom with a fist full of napkins in his three little fingers grumbling something.

"Keelah, I feel so _shtupid_."

"It was an honest accident Neama, don't worry about it."

She grinned under the blue tinted veil not because of Harvey's reassurance, but because the plan worked out _exactly_ as Toby hoped.

Toby stood in the bathroom on the first floor praying that no C-Sec agents were going to come in and compromise the whole operation. Luckily, he was the only one standing in the bathroom. Hunched over the sink, he stared at his gaunt face in the immaculate mirror. All the stress and agony has taken a toll on his overall physical appearance. He was teetering on the edge of a knife which was ready to impale him into submission. If he could pull this next act off, his morale would skyrocket and that is just the thing he needed the most.

"Toby, this is Brian. I have a visual on that short little bastard coming right towards the bathroom; ETA fifteen seconds."

Nashira pulled it off, that was excellent news. Excited, Toby grabbed his blue cap and pulled it snug over the quarter inch stubble coating his scalp. He tried not to move his arm too much fearing pain from that was hibernating in his collar bone. What sounded like hoofs clapping off the ground in short strides percolated under the blue swinging door leading into the bathroom. Toby switched on the sink and washed his hands as soon as the volus waddled into the restroom grumbling. He approached the short sink made for handicaps and smaller aliens. Heiko ignored Stitch while getting the rest of the soap off his hands and then pushed them under a heated blow dryer.

"The door is clear Toby, no one is coming in or out," Brian whispered into the mic from some obscure dark corner outside.

"Stitch." The volus spun around, as he couldn't crane his neck because it was too stubby. Stitch jumped like he was hit by electricity and dropped his paper napkins, not bothering to watch them flutter to the floor.

"Heiko, is that you?"

"Now listen to me Stitch-"

"No, you listen to me," he said cutting him off, "I want you out of here right now. If they find me talking to you I could get in trouble."

"Stitch, please…I need your help."

The volus sighed. "Did you really do those terrible things Mr. Heiko?"

"No, no I didn't, but I have a hunch to who did do those things."

Stitch crossed his stubby arms. "How can you prove it?"

"I believe my wife, who the news said I kidnapped, was the one to spill the drink on you."

"You mean the one flirting with the human," Stitch asked alarmed and surprised.

Toby chuckled slightly. "Yeah I guess so. Anyways, you said there was a Spectre on the Citadel, right?"

Stitch's body language was sentinel. "Yes, I heard some details about that from a reliable source. One of my good friends was attacked yesterday in the morning hours, a human who was my friend. He is paralyzed from the neck down by a sniper bullet. He worked for some powerful people and was able to pull information on this certain Spectre."

Toby's stomach lifted high in his chest, anxious for more information like a child waiting to open Christmas presents. This was great. No, it was perfect, this is what he needed.

"Who is it? What is its name?"

"A turian by the name of Skave Arterius."

Toby finally had a name for the Hunter, for the nightmare chasing after him. This thing that hurdled after him, his wife, and best friend with an infinite velocity and mass finally had a name.

_Skave._

It even sounded evil, possessed, and demonic like gothic images of demons with long wicked tongues the color of cherries, slit like eyes, blazing horns, inverted gnarled legs, exposed sexual organs, and curved sharp teeth. He felt the way the Hunter drained energy from around him and how it melted away, hiding in a cocoon of oily shadows which it seemed to spawn from nowhere. It was terrifying the way it hunted its prey with one mission on its stubborn, dogmatic brain that churned like dark torrents of cold water in the deepest of black polluted trenches: inhalation.

Spectres only worked for the Council and took assignments directly from them. That means the Council has targeted him, tagging a red flag on his back for this Hunter to track him down. But C-Sec was involved in his set up and it must have been them that set him up in the first place. Someone with power must be behind all this, but who was it?

"Is that all you have on him Stitch?"

"Indeed it is Heiko my friend."

"Who is this friend of yours that got a hold of this information?"

"A man who works for powerful men; I may be small, but I have _many _friends. You may not be the only one after this Spectre you know," Stitch whispered, pleased to share this information to Heiko while chuckling slightly as if he knew more than he let on.

"Stitch, thank you for all the intelligence, you have my eternal thanks."

"You are welcome Earth clan. May I finish washing my suit now?"

"Please, go ahead." Toby clapped Stitch on the shoulder. It felt like he just slapped a boulder.

"Toby, Pira here. The five cops I sent on a goose chase…they are running back like they have a mission, I think you are compromised!"

Her words slapped him in the face like barbed wire crushed into a bat. He expected this to happen, but was stupid enough to not think of a plan B if the shit hit the fan and he was down wind of it. Toby spat out a one liner which was the only thing he could think of.

"Run!"

Toby pushed the door open hard enough to knock someone out if they were on the opposite end. Ferociously, he scanned for Nashira through the blue haze. Brian materialized out of the shadows with a nervous look and peered at the front door reaching for his gun.

"Brian, keep that away. I don't want to kill anyone innocent, these cops included," Toby hissed into his mic tearing his gaze away from his friend towards Nashira who was sprinting down the stairs with a human behind her calling her "Neama." The man stopped short of the bottom stair and just scratched his head knowing it was a lost cause to chase after her. Suddenly, Toby heard shouting out in the streets; it sounded far away enough that the trio could run out the front door and escape unnoticed. Nashira grabbed Toby's arm and they charged towards the door.

"Make a right when we—_oohf_!"

Toby's vision flashed white and the breath in his lungs liberated themselves, refusing to return as he gasped for air. The five turians along with Toby, Nashira, and Brian crashed into each other at full speed. As the turians can get close to thirty miles an hour on foot, it felt like slamming into a train. Pain from Toby's collar bone, back, and head zipped around his body like a fist of razor wire playing pinball inside of him. He opened his mouth to gasp for air while pushing a bony body off his just trying to get to his feet as the void in his lungs consumed all the precious oxygen. Blinking, Toby was staring face to face with a turian, his lower jaw painted a matte black with a white stripe on his forehead.

"Heiko," he wheezed, grabbing Toby's arm. Swiftly, Toby grabbed the pistol from under his left arm and crashed the handle into the turians face hard enough to not kill him or knock him unconscious; it was too much of a risk to kill an innocent person. The turian cried out in pain and clenched his face. Two soft hands wrapped around Toby's belly, pulling him to his feet and out of the cluster if writhing aliens.

"Go Toby, we follow you," Nashira blurted out. Dozens of curious onlookers scrutinized the scene, all forming their own reasons to why the scene was so bizarre. Toby grabbed Brian by the shirt, trying to get him off a turian who he was punching in the face and cursing, because it looked like Hilliard broke his hand.

"Brian, now!"

With his breath coming back and adrenaline surging in thick blankets, Toby ran towards the alleyway where they were hiding before. A thunderous crack exploded from behind them and a round snapped by his left ear as they fired lethal ammunition at the three, trying to peg at least one of them. The mass of civilians enjoying their early lunches all screamed as an epidemic of panic tangled them into a single bulb of fear. Reaching the alleyway, shouting bounced around the corner from the turians, along with the leader yelling orders: Shoot to kill. Toby's adrenaline clung on every blood cell like rafters hunkering down for some rough rapids that lay ahead. He dodged tables, leapt over chairs, and snaked in and out of unsuspecting pedestrians. It was a free for all. Nashira ran ahead, using the powerful quarian legs and muscular thighs of hers to put the humans in the dust. Rounds snapped down the alleyway, breaking the sound barrier and streaking past his head which shattered windows and swiped cups off the tops of tables. Toby instinctively covered his head, making his body as small as possible.

"Take a right Nash!"

Nashira skidded to a halt and pushed open a candle shops door suddenly bursting into the pungent smelling shop. Bullets shattered the storefront's glass window, transforming the sheet of glass into thousands of white beads. Everyone screamed in the room ducking for cover.

"Back door, where is it," Brian screamed, scuttling into the shop clasping onto his pistol that was futile instrument. A blue asari pointed towards a white door in the back still covering her head with a heavy catalogue. The concentrated scent burned Toby's throat. The ball of fragrant air tumbled down the inside of his body like swallowing a hot coal. His eyes watered, shooting frantic glances around the shop finally spotting the door. He grabbed Nashira's hand and dragged her deeper into the shop.

"Stop!"

Thunder roared behind them, spattering Toby's face with melted candle wax as a slug chewed into a wax pylon exploding it into thousands of melted and solid fragments.

"Stay low Nash!"

Toby kicked open the door, thrusting his foot through the plastic door kicking way too hard. They entered a small room filled with cardboard boxes stacked to the ceiling. There was a conveyor belt that was running outside of the building to somewhere that wasn't here. There was no back exit. They were trapped. An asari with extravagant white tattoos dropped a box raising her hands in surrender.

"Don't shoot me!"

Toby ignored her and turned around noticing Nashira had pull out a polished piece of steel. Swinging it back, Toby caught a better glance at what she was holding: a massive wrench. A turian busted through the door and trained his firearm at Brian's chest when Nashira swung the tool right into the C-Sec officer's face which dropped him like an anvil.

"Damn it," Nashira squealed, dropping the wrench and shook her hands as the transfer of energy felt like hitting a metal pole with a wooden bat. The asari let loose a bloodcurdling scream, terrified she was going to get a bullet to the face by the three people who stood before her. Toby grabbed Nashira by the waist and tossed her onto the conveyer belt while hugging her body as they passed through the small opening together. It was the only way out, but Toby didn't know where it led to. The rubber flaps brushed against his shoulders as dark enveloped the two. He could feel the conveyer machine shift as Brian plopped himself on it yelling to Toby that he was okay. Toby shifted his arms around Nashira, hugging her tighter as the belt made a turn. Gunshots bellowed through the dark metallic tunnel as the C-Sec officers blind fired into the thick dark hoping to get a hit off them. Nashira's back pressed against his, both of them breathing heavily. Leaning his face into her hood, he could smell strawberries off the fabric he adored so much. Her thin hands weaved around his that were clamped on her belly. They shook like a leaf from the adrenaline that was poured into her bloodstream.

Light cascaded into the dark from the end of the belt accompanied by baffled female voices. Toby looked out at the piercing light and noticed two silhouettes in the shape of asari heads peeking in the tunnel.

"There are people in there!"

_This should be interesting. _

Toby and Nashira protruded from the tunnel like a baby being birthed. They were back outside and this time, there was no glass ceiling over their heads, just the mammoth Ward arms which glimmered, dotted with thousands of glittering lights above their heads. Nashira leapt out of Toby's embrace, spun around and assisted Brian as Toby grabbed a crowbar from the truck that the two asari were loading with candles and jammed in between the rollers, forcing the conveyor belt to an impromptu arrest.

"There should be two turians coming through the shaft, they are crooked cops so tell them we went that way," Toby shouted over the ringing in his ears while pointing down the loading alleyway in the opposite direction they will be taking. He knew it was a slim chance the two asari with wide frightened eyes would lead the two officers in the wrong direction, but hell, it was worth a shot.

"We need to move now you guys," Toby urgently suggested to the other two. Grabbing Nashira's hand, he ran down the left side which spanned at least three hundred meters before hitting a street which burbled the sound of crowds and city life. His throat felt like sandpaper brushing against itself, and his dry swallows only induced pain along with an awkward feeling of consuming his Addams apples. All the physical training he did during the early morning hours made this run a piece of cake, except for each time he took a step, his collar bone bit into his shoulder and his kidneys felt like they were being peppered by a gavel. Only getting a few sips of water in the bathroom, this mouth was tacky with a soapy film of mucus. As the adrenaline wore off, his legs trembled and fought against his body which was screaming, _Stop!_

"Toby," Brian huffed. "Why would the C-Sec officers open fire in a crowded street filled with pedestrians? I mean, that goes against everything they trained us."

"Do they really want us that bad," Nashira asked over her panting.

Toby didn't have a clear answer for them at the moment, nothing really made sense. Why would they risk killing innocent bystanders to take them down? It was clear to them that Toby didn't want to kill any C-Sec officers, shouldn't they adapt? The only conclusion Toby could come to was someone really doing a number on, him making him appear more dangerous that they really were, and spreading wicked lies in large numbers.

"I just hope you didn't kill that turian Nash, you know, with the wrench." Her hand tightened like a noose around his.

"You think I killed him Toby?"

Brian chuckled which baffled Toby how he could find humor in the current situation. Then again, it was Brian who always found something to laugh about in high stress and dangerous opportunities.

"You smacked him pretty hard, he was about to waste me Nash. Saving my life, good job," he quipped grinning, boosting all of their morale. Peering behind him, Toby noticed quite a few cargo trucks landed, off loading or taking on a load of supplies from the shops making their chances of escape even greater blocking the C-Sec's line of sight. Sirens wailed in the distance and bounced off the building's hard shells and filling the city's score with excitement. They approached the street which acted as a main artery on the Citadel allowing them to wane away in the crowds and blend in with the deluge of people on the one hundred meter wide street. They were now in a heavy business area of the Wards. Buildings spiraled thousands of feet into the air, their mirrored windows reflecting a flawless picture of the city and of the resplendent silver and blue nebula smeared across the sky like an oily sludge on a puddle of water. Glass protruded out of the medium on the street advertising perfume, shoes, clothing, cars, and electronic kitchen devises to the businessmen and women who took long strides, talking acutely in their phones. Automobiles hummed and whined over their heads in yellow streaks of blazing light. High heels and hard soled polished shoes clapped off the metallic floor in a cacophonous roar. They were safe and Toby needed to formulate their next move.

"Pira, Toby here. We escaped the officers successfully," he informed her regaining his breath.

"Okay, they are sending some more units down right now, but I have a feeling you knew that and acted appropriately, right?" Toby glanced at Nashira who was nodding.

"You got that right."

"Listen," Pira whirred softly, keeping her voice low. "I just saw Executor Kieran walk in here a moment ago. He is arguing with Komani right now and I heard Kieran shout your and another's name. He sounds pissed, just thought you would like to know; relaying anything that relates to you."

Dodging an elcor, Toby scratched his head confused.

"What was the other name Pira?"

"Skafe or Skave…something along those lines, I couldn't really make it out."

A surge of revelation crashed into Toby, forcing him to gape at the news.

"Pira, is there any way you can listen into that conversation," he asked hectically while walking to the base of a skyscraper to lean against its polished granite base.

"Do you want me to eavesdrop?"

"Yes," Toby said flatly.

"Give me a second, I am going to head over towards the coffee machine, the door is cracked open a bit." Toby could hear her chair popping as she shifted her weight while peeking at the door from around her computer monitor. Toby glanced at Nashira who had her head hunched forward listening, fixated on every syllable coming through the channel and gobbling it up cannily. The sound of coffee splashing off hard ceramic swam into their earpieces followed by the tearing of a sugar packet.

"Yeah, I can hear them pretty well… idiots," Pira whispered through a sneer. "Oh…oh shit Toby." Heiko's heart quickened to an inhuman pace. He closed his eyes trying to hear what the two were talking about and by the sound of Pira's voice, which quaked, it must have been bad news. All he could hear was Pira's shallow breaths over the channel and the attenuate rumble of blood streaming around his ears which blocking all other sounds out, including the city's strained melody.

"Toby, the Executor said another name."

_Why don't you just tell me?_

_Wait, why would she present it like that?_

_Pira._

_What is it?_

_Please._

_Oh God, her voice sounds strained._

_What is it?_

_The name._

_What is the name damn it! _

"Toby, Kieran just said _Gia's_ name."

His whole world stopped spinning. He held a solitary moment with just himself and the pounding of his heart knocking against his ribs, aching to be released from its boney restraint. The famous turian known as Executor Kieran was behind this operation. Killing Cugasi and attempting to murder Toby and his family, kidnapping Gia, and pushing Toby along with Nashira to the brink.

_It could be Komani too. No, it has to be the Executor or maybe the Council. Well it definitely was the Council, but someone had to issue the order to send a Spectre after me and that is the C-Sec Executor. The Council wouldn't pay attention to me; it had to be the Executor. That is how the political machine works. Kieran has my daughter and I am going to get her back! _

Hate swelled in Toby's stomach. It ignited, spreading to his chest and finally warmed his throat with violence. God he wanted to kill the one that took Gia, more than anything else. Someone like him deserved to die…no, not die but suffer. The pistol felt like a hot brick searing his ribs under his left arm yearning to be used, wanting to get as far away from a virgin status. His fingers coiled into a fist wanting to slam it into something with all his strength. He didn't care if he broke his hand and shattered his bones into bloody ivory splinters; he almost wanted to feel the pain.

Yes, pain.

Need to kill something to relinquish pain.

Put others in pain, watch their eyes glass over with fear, observe the milky whites darken with scarlet blood vessels as he crushes them into submission but no, he won't listen to their pathetic cries of agony. He will continue his crusade of pain, searching out virgin areas to sear with his hate to make fields of blisters.

Taking Gia from him was the most intimate act of torture which plunged him into a desperate strife against these evil forces that seem untouchable. These malignant beings were blind to this cone of agony which became more and more concentrated the further he went in this hostile and ravage assault. A switch flicked off inside him. It released an unforeseen brute to cruise his emotions which extended its egregious black claws from its paw, eviscerating the humane emotions of compliance, forgiveness, and allegiance. He wanted revenge.

_Revenge_

The word lashed at him like a current of tenacious water from a river of unadulterated emotion. The bestial rage tickled his nerves like raw ecstasy, he _needed _his revenge.

"Pira," Toby started, deprived of any emotion, "that is all we need, stay in touch, we will get the bastard somehow."

"Okay Toby. Stay safe, good luck Nashira. Good luck Brian." The faint white noise cut out leaving the three standing in the colossal blanket of shade from the buildings on either side of the street. Brian rubbed the stubble on his face then pulled his pliable lip thinking, also noticing the sudden change in Toby's stance and aimless gaze.

"So…the Executor has Gia, Toby," Nashira asked, shattering the silence.

"Yes he does Nash." He grabbed her fists and rubbed the top of her feeble hand and uncurled her tight quarian fists. "We are going to get her back, I _swear _to you."

"Why would he…" She dozed off and shook her head, obviously frustrated and pissed as all hell. No one touches her child and quarians are highly protective mothers. She was going through the same thing as Toby.

"So we need to get into C-Sec somehow," Brian proposed shifting, watching Toby move the carbine under his jacket.

"We can't get near that place Brian, their security is impenetrable. There is no way."

"What if we use a sniper to take out the Executor?"

"Then how are we supposed to get to Gia then? Brian…I never said anything about killing him," Toby whispered as a crowd of college students passed by.

"Toby, I can see the violence in your eyes, you _need _to kill him," Brian shot back. "Also, just throwing ideas out there, nothing serious."

"Well," Toby sighed, "this is a problem."

Hope drained from his emotions. Getting into C-Sec was impossible, even for a man who thinks nothing is impossible. It seemed hopeless, but he wasn't going to go out like a coward. Knocking on the front door was going to get him killed. If the C-Sec officers that were hunting them earlier shot at them without asking questions in a populated area, waltzing up to their doorstep was suicide. The snipers stationed around the building were definitely on alert today because of the batarian terrorist incident, Toby's incident, and now the bombing of the university which the Hunter definitely got away with. They wouldn't get within several hundred meters of the building before being put down over a wide distance. It was a lost cause. The rational part of his brain that was consumed by the demon who sat dormant at the moment realized he wasn't going to walk out with Gia alive. He was responsible for Rachel's death. Looking at his wife, the love of his life, he knew he didn't want to lose her too; that was committing mental suicide if he was responsible for her death too. Losing a child and a fiancée in a prior life hung heavy with him like wearing a pendant of guilt leaden beads.

"I…I don't know what to do you guys, but I am not about to give up on Gia," Toby hoarsely mumbled. Brian sighed in defeat and bowed his head. He honestly didn't know what to do. There was no way to get Gia without getting killed. Maybe making an exchange with his life would work.

Yes, this idea had potential.

In exchange for his life, he could get Gia back to Nashira. In his temporary delirious state, he was about to call C-Sec to turn himself in when Nashira said something.

"Wait, I know how to get in undetected."

At first, he couldn't believe what she said. Was it the hysterical state whispering malice in his ear as a taunt?

"Toby," Nashira started, placing hands on her head, "I know how to get in!" She started speaking one hundred words a second. "Yesterday, I worked on an electrical tunnel which ran wires underneath the Citadel and they lead to… _in_ C-Sec. The Keepers can't fit in this small tunnel unlike the one we were in earlier. This one is small, like we would have to crawl inside of it." Her eyes exploded like fireworks beneath the smoked veil and Toby could see the faint outline of her soft lips trying to keep up with her brain. "If we use that tunnel, we could easily get inside of the academy." Taking a large sip of air, she crossed her arms and stared at the two men. There was their plan. Now, they actually had a chance. The game was even.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Ron's bar was filling up as the lunch crowd surged through the front doors, all of which were dressed in formal clothing and stayed in packs conversing with their colleagues. The bar would have been a cozy place to hang out with friends, if Skave thought having those were a good idea. It had a square theme to the interior design which was sharp and crisp in appearance. Plates were _square_, the paintings on the walls were all perfect _squares_ with more _squares_ painted on the _square_ canvas, the carpet had a_ square_ designs, there were even _square_ alcoves in the wall holding more _squares_, colored blown glass _square_ vases, and the lights were square basking the_ square_ restaurant in anemic blue light. _Squares. Squares, squares. Squares everywhere._

_Is this getting to you Skave?_

_No, it isn't._

_Your pulse has quickened._

_No it hasn't._

_Don't lie Skave._

_I am not lying! _

_Are you angry Skave._

_Stop it!_

_Squares, squares, squares!_

_Stop it!_

His heart thumped and bumped with a balloon of frustration inflating in his head. The broken spikes throbbed and drizzled thick sticky blood down his back and trickled to his belt which saturated his pants. This intruder in his mind was getting to him and with every time he became frustrated or angry; the Intruder's whispers become more prominent, so life like, he could feel the tickle of its breath on his face.

_Calm down Skave._

The turian inhaled and exhaled. _Inhaled_ and _exhaled_.

_The voice is gone._

Opening his eyes, he scanned the crowd one more time in search his target's face.

_Long brown scraggly hair in a pony tail, thick glasses, dresses very casually. Donald shouldn't be hard to pick out of the crowd._

"Do you need anything else, sir?"

Skave jumped at the voice of his asari waitress who looked like a teenager, but was probably close to sixty years old. Cautiously, he pulled his jacket tighter around his chest, hindering a fake cough with a fist. He drew her curious blue eyes towards his face with his fist and away from the wound. He could smell her greasy sweet perfume wafting off her vile skin. He wanted to vomit his lunch and project it in her face then drown her in his own sick. She was an appalling looking beast and as her eyes gazed into his ignorantly, Skave just wanted to plunge his steak knife into her face, drag her into an abandoned alleyway and have intercourse with the dead body.

"Nothing, thank you."

Flaring his mandibles, he concealed his burning hatred towards her through an appreciated gesture. The asari whore wandered off, asking a group of humans who just sat down what they would like to drink. Just then, Skave saw a middle-aged man walk into the bar grinning, hefting a heavy bag off his wiry shoulder and placed it on the stool next to him at the bar. It was him, Donald McGamery. Looking around the bar for Nashira, Donny flashed a stupid smile, revealing his yellow crooked teeth. He was grinning like an idiot. It suddenly disappeared when there wasn't a quarian in sight and a sheet of nervousness draped over his features as he pulled back the sleeve of his tan button up shirt stealing a glance at his watch. Skave watched from a distance while twirling his fork fantasizing.

_Nashira Heiko must be on time all the time. Precise. Planning to the second. The look on his deficient face shows he is worried. Well…he should be. Until he makes his move, I must wait._

Sitting motionless, he trained his black eyes on Donny and waited. He knew this human was middle aged and from the medical reports he looked up, Donny had a subhuman problem with going to the bathroom often, something dealing with his prostate. After waiting for several minutes, Skave asked his idiotic waitress to send Donny a drink, on Skave's tab but keeping it anonymous. The dopy looking human looked around the restaurant then timidly sipped his drink which he received. When he was out, the bartender gave him a refill. Donny drank half of the next one then stopped, feeling awkward. Twenty minutes went by when finally, Donny stoop up, lit a cigarette and walked to the bathroom. Like the predator Skave was, he waiting until the human was in the bathroom. Skave navigated his way through the lunch crowd towards the bathroom. Scrutinizing the door, he noticed it was an outdated swinging door with three hinges only opening inwards. He grinned, happy at the old technology. Three long fingers slithered into the U shaped handle and pushed it inwards. Luckily, no one was inside except for Donny who stood at a stall emptying his bladder while whistling a happy tune, but stopped when Skave came in.

With Donny's back turned towards Skave, the turian dropped some coins on the floor putting on an act.

"Shit," he grumbled, picking up the coins cautiously while jamming his knife blade under the door, keeping it from being opened by anyone outside. Clearing his throat, Skave walked over to the sink to wash his hands. Traces of blue blood swirled in the white ceramic basin being sucked down the meshed drain. A toilet flushed behind him, followed by the buzz of a zipper and footsteps. Donny clicked on the sink, still puffing his cigarette and washed his hands.

"You are going to kill yourself with these one day if you don't go under medical treatment…which is so damn expensive," Donny mumbled to himself in a gruffly tone with his voice cracking as webs of mucus caught his breath and popped.

_Now!_

Skave grabbed Donny by the hair, yanking it as hard as he could and pushed the man to the ground covering Donny's mouth with a hand. Donny's face was doused in shock with tears of pain collecting in the corners of his yellowed eyes. Donny glanced at the door, finally seeing something wedged under it noticing this _thing _on him had a plan. Donny's futile screams were reduced to hot muffled burbles. The whole scene was pathetic and Skave could feel the human's grotesque lips opening and his tongue prodding his palm like a bloated slug while calling out for help. Skave slapped him across the face, changing his tan skin an irritated pink. Realizing he was fighting a losing battle, Donny stopped screaming.

"Now listen to me, I am going to take my hand off your mouth. If you scream or say anything," Skave pinched the burning cigarette off the ground, put his hand on Donny's forehead, and hung the orange bud over his eyeball, "I will cool the tip off in your eye." Donny blinked rapidly and looked away from the ember tangled tip. He nodded his head.

"Now, Nashira, where is she?"

Skave uncovered Donny's mouth slowly.

"She was supposed to meet me here half an hour ago, I swear!"

So far he was telling the truth. Donny was spitting the words from his mouth, trying to get his breath back.

"Have you seen the news lately?"

"My extranet network doesn't work at my house, we are having problems. I saw something about batarian terrorist's attacking a turian embassy the other day."

Again, he was truthful, but it seemed like he was hiding something.

"Do you know who lead the team that stormed the embassy," Skave asked, further testing him. This time, he looked to the upper left, not meeting Skave's eyes.

"No I don't."

"Don't lie to me Donny."

Donny's eyes went wide when Skave said his name.

"What, I am not—"

Skave pressed the hot tip into Donny's eye, but the human blinked which seared the eyelid and he began to yelp. The Spectre's blood lust viciously attacked him which sent him into a violent frenzy.

"Don't lie!"

Skave jumped on Donny's chest, pressing his knees into Donny's arms and using both hands to open the human's eyelids so he could get to the pearly meat and cook it. Tears drenched Donny's long eyelashes. Looking through a squint, his vision was filled with a blazing orange light. The tip hissed, boiling the thin mucus layer on the eye. Donny thrashed and screamed but Skave put a hand over his mouth again gagging the terrified roar.

"Toby Heiko, it was Toby Heiko, Nashira's husband," he mumbled once he calmed down. "He led the team in."

"To fill you in, this morning, Toby killed his daughter, murdered six officers, murdered his neighbor after she helped him, and attacked a school. I am hunting him down and you might know where they are." Skave's words were like poison to Donny. Blinking, he shook his head.

"I don't believe that. I know Toby personally. He would never do that. I don't believe you!"

Skave sighed disappointed. He took a drag on the cigarette, bringing the tip to a glowing red orb and shoved it into Donny's nose, so deep, it disappeared. The screams were the most beautiful melody he has ever had the opportunity to listen to. The moment was _glorious_. Donny struggled under the weight pinning him to the floor and almost bucked Skave off. The human hit hysterical strength, but was already far too feeble to cause a threat. Muscles in the human's neck stretched, pushing against his leathery skin, trying to break free as each time he breathed, the oxygen was being fed to the cigarette making the tip hotter furthermore burning his skin.

Skave continued, "Now I have reason to believe that Toby is going to try and breach C-Sec to find some important people. I can't let him do that. Toby Ethan Heiko is persistent. He is not going to give up nor is he going to walk through the front door on C-Sec." Skave saw a flicker of hope in Donny's good eye, a flicker that looked like good intelligence. Skave grabbed the cigarette and pulled it out of his nose which was now extinguished with a long knot of bloody mucus clinging to the tip. Now the human could talk without going unconscious.

"There…there is a back way to C-Sec," he trembled, "A tunnel going right to the heart of the academy. I know you said Nashira is with him. She knows where the tunnel is."

"I _need _this information now Donald McGamery," Skave whispered.

"Let me open my omni-tool so I can give it to you."

Cautiously, Skave got off one of his arms to let Donny open the orange holographic computer on his arm. Then Donny tried to pull a move by quickly opening his e-mail in a desperate attempt to send a message to Nashira, but was stopped short by a powerful blow to the mouth by Skave.

"You think I am a fool!"

Again, Skave punched his mouth, breaking Donny's jaw, but also had the humans yellow diseased teeth break off and embedding their pointed chunks into Skave's fist.

"The location you bastard, give it to me," Skave hissed, shaking the dazed man. Noticing Donny was going into shock, the turian downloaded all his work files, knowing it was in hiding in there. Donny released a wet gurgle, choking on his own warm salty blood and coughed a geyser of it into the air of the bathroom which smelled of sweet cleaning agents.

_He can't live._

Skave dragged Donny into a stall whose eyes rolled into the back of his skull flashing their white underbellies. Flipping up the universal toilet seat, Skave set him on it and grabbed Donny's head. Twisting as hard as he could, Skave was trying to break his neck. Donny wheezed and moaned. He meekly fought back in a futile attempt to resist; breaking necks were easier said than done. Again Skave tried. His triceps and biceps burned until there was a wet deep pop similar to breaking the joint of a chicken leg, except louder. Quickly, Skave wrapped Donny's head in toilet paper which soaked the blood up and kept it from dripping to the white tiled floor for as long as possible. He closed the door, swiped up the blood on the floor near the sink, picked up some teeth, dumped it in the garbage, and washed his hands. Now, Skave had his predatory compass pointing to something: a location.

Having already paid for lunch, Skave stepped out of the restaurant while sifting through Donny's recent work locations which were well documented. The second one on the list was the one he was searching for and he was close…very close.

A dull aching pain was ever so present in Toby's heel and calf as they walked through the Citadel. Any amount of physical training could have done would have never prepared Toby for what he went through today. He was spent; a gelatinous sack of meat with crushed emotions and revenge festering in every cell to the point where he was seeing things with a dark red haze. He slipped his thumb under the carbine's strap on his shoulder, keeping it from further chafing his skin raw. One thing he actually missed about a full suit of armor was the ability to keep firearms on magnetically, this way he could just clip the weapon to his body. This weapon he carried was heavy. The HMWC-X had a heavy match barrel and more metal parts on it that usual, instead of the ceramic the firearms were made out of. Again, his mind was wondering to far off places, thinking about the guns weight, then transitioning to his daughter.

_Gia_

The name meant so much. It enveloped him in a warm cape yet chilled him like a frigid gust of air which scraped the balmy skin off his bones leaving him bear. What she was going through he didn't want to know, it only doused the flame of revenge with more volatile substances. He was _seething. _Nashira stared at her omni-tool, glancing around her surroundings along with Brian who was looking for anything or anyone who looked abnormal. The city was becoming more and more sleazy the further they ventured into the beast called the Citadel. Although not dangerous, it wasn't the safest place for a human, but no one would want to mess with Brian or Toby. Both looked like they could do damage, especially Brian, who was as tall as most turians and double the weight.

"We are getting close, it is just down this street," Nashira told Toby who spun around to address her husband who was keeping a close watch on her. The tone of her voice wasn't as cheerful or full of character as it usually is, but was flat and weaved with subtle traces of anger. She wanted revenge too, he could feel it. Though Nashira was good about hiding emotion in her voice, Toby picked up on her tone. No one messes with a quarian mother's daughter, that is a fact and she made that clear the first time she introduced Toby to Gia on his first visit to her apartment. It seemed she was much calmer than him at the moment, but he knew this wasn't the case. The way her shoulders were square and how her footsteps were more like stomping, like she was trying to stamp footprints into the floor. It signaled she was dealing with an unbearable pain deep in her heart.

Brian was being cautious, sensing Toby's edge that was sharpening as they walked. He knew it was smarter to just leave him alone and not make any cocky "Brian" related comments to try and cheer up the mood, which was as dark as the vacuum of space. Humans began to diminish in this part of the city to the point where Toby and Brian were the only ones for kilometers. Toby could feel the Hunter's presence, with its enigmatic form hiding in the darkest of shadows, swallowed up by the thick anthracitic penumbra of a corner or a building, ready to attack.

It wasn't far from here, not at all.

Right on their heels.

Hurdling towards them.

Smelling its way through the city.

Slurping the scent of primal fear through the slits in its snout.

With infinite velocity and mass.

Its power outside the realm of imagination.

Hunting.

"This is it," Nashira called out. The streets thinned out as the lunch crowd filed back into their buildings to continue their mundane assignments. What looked like a manhole lid dimpled the center of the street with a holographic red number pad placed right in the center.

"How do we get in there," Brian asked, glancing at the lid, then went back to scanning the streets and windows above. Toby watched Nashira silently kneel and open her omni-tool as she connected to the secure wireless network of the lid.

"I was just here the other day, but we automatically scrambled the pass code when we were done with the work inside the tunnel. I just need to hack it really fast," she mumbled breathing heavily. After thirty long seconds, the holograph flicked green and Nashira punched in a six digit code. "Help me lift this you guys." With Toby's good arm, he grabbed the slim handle and lifted the inch thick slab of metal. They slid it to the side.

"Now Toby, look at me." Her tone was serious and concerned. "This…this tunnel is small. I know these tunnels taper off at random points." She exhaled a soft breath of air while putting a hand on his shoulder and stared in his eyes. "I know you are claustrophobic, but we will get through this together, okay?" Toby's dark eyes flickered to the tunnel then back to Nashira with his heart palpitating. Claustrophobia was just as feared, if feared even more than the phobia of vomit.

_Gia, Gia, Gia, Gia…think Gia Toby._

"Okay, together. Right now we should get moving before the pedestrians around here get curious. Brian, you ready man?" His big friend nodded, dangled his legs in the hold, and dropped in the darkness. "Nash, your turn; I will follow you honey."

"Got it."

Nashira's slim form elegantly hopped in the hole and Toby dropped her battered pack down, then followed the two into the hole. The black enveloped his vision so fast it startled him. His hand furiously rifled through his bag in search for his small flashlight. He twisted the cap, illuminating the dark with his torch. Twisting the top, he broadened the beam, which swelled the tunnel with a flood of light and illuminated the virgin black. _V90 _was painted in yellow letters to the right which told them their exact location. Thousands of wires shot into the distance, arching up subtly as they were following the curvature of the Ward arm. Brian closed the manhole, scraping the ceiling with the bulky steel slab, finally shutting the life off from above and sealed them in this crucible. Their breathing was the only sound penetrating the thick, stagnant air surrounding them. Suddenly, Toby realized how cold it was under here. What Toby thought was a shadow dancing down the tunnel, darting from cover to cover, was his steamy breath from the vacuum of space which cooled the interior of the tunnel down.

"Now, how far do we go Nash," Brian asked, rubbing his hands together with pillows of steam emanating from this large hot lungs. Toby could see Nashira's eyes squint. She was keeping back a secret of some sort.

"Five kilometers."

It was worse than he thought. Toby twisted the torches cap, concentrating the beam's light into the darkness. "Which way is it?" Nashira's slim arm pointed to the left. Five kilometers of crawling through a tunnel which seemed to press down on him, even when it was three feet tall was to say the least, unnerving. He wanted to get it done and over with, grab Gia, and escape.

"Let's get moving," Toby ordered, scuffling through the frigid tunnel. Fear clutched him as they traversed the slim tube.

_Breathe in and out._

_Open spaces._

_Grassy fields._

_In and out._

_Long deep breaths._

_One kilometer done._

_In and out._

_Two kilometers down._

_In and out._

_Three kilometers down._

_In and out._

_Open space._

_Fresh air._

_Open blue sky above my head._

_Four kilometers down._

_In and out._

So far, the tunnel was staying a consistent size with no problems. The three were quiet most of the way with several coaching sentences from Nashira and a couple of breaks in between. The harness on Toby's chest was restricting his breathing immensely and being crouched down was tearing his wound open little by little. The medi-gel's pain killing effect was quickly wearing off. A metal staple was scratching into the open wound, and with every step, it shot a sharp hot pain racing up his back. It was becoming almost intolerable. While in N7, they trained everyone to deal with pain by teaching them to shut off that part of the brain, along with introducing them with pain everywhere they went to the point where they just didn't care. Since N7 was a human Special Forces group, the Spetsnaz, SEALs, GSG, Green Berets, and other human special operation groups from around the world pressed all their training techniques into one hardcore regime. Of course, all these groups were disabled when the Alliance was born, but they used these historical Spec Ops regimes as inspiration, even including some of the alien exercises like adopting turian, salarian, and even quarian hand-to-hand combat skills to the list of techniques. Toby was a professional soldier, but a broken down man at this point with a course of action he pursued with immense zeal. He was blood thirsty and wanted to see an end to this mess as soon as possible.

"Toby, Brian, hold up," Nashira whispered, her voice sounding like rolling thunder through the darkness. "The tunnel tapers up here." She pointed her flash light through the dark and illuminated something from a nightmare. The wires stopped hanging on the left wall in organized chords and suddenly transformed into a stringy mess. The wires started to slip through a choke point that had less than two feet of room in between for everyone to squeeze through.

"God damn it," Toby cursed, suddenly feeling his heart rate go astronomical. Waves of panic broke across his vision, flooding his emotions with unadulterated hysteria. He wanted to turn back. There was no way he could go through that web of wires. Nashira turned around to grab his face with six fingers fixating his gaze into her frosted veil.

"We will get through this together Toby." She started taking long deep breaths of air. "Follow me. In and out. In…and…out." She patted her chest. It sounded like a meaty drum. "In…and…out." Toby's lungs filled with air slowly. He pictured a beach with open cloudless sky and endless azure water, flat as a pane of glass, with a gentle a breeze pushing its fingers through his short hair. He imagined sand between his toes, which shielded them from the hot sun. He pushed his feet deeper, seeking out the cooler grains of sand. Waves crashed against the shore, hissing with their retreat and the wave's choppy crowns were sparkling in the sun.

"Brian, do you mind going first so Toby can follow me so can we take it nice and slow," Nashira asked while reassuringly patting Toby's hand.

"Not at all." Brian got to his knees and crawled into the dark space trying not to get tangled in the wires.

"Follow me," Nash whispered pulling his hand. Now calm, Toby opened his eyes and pushed his broad shoulders into the wired sarcophagus. He kept his frenzy at bay thinking about open skies and the feel of Nashira's gloved hand. The wires draped over his shoulders and the space no longer had any free room to move around, he was trapped in this cradle of rubber netting.

_Open sky._

_Open fields._

_Birds chirping._

_In and out._

"Keep it up Toby you are doing well." His flashlight couldn't penetrate the compact weaving of wires and dark swallowed him up, but Nashira's hand was still firmly clasped in his grip. _Oh God. Head first. I can't move my shoulders! My shoes are coming loose! My leg is stuck, shit! Okay, pulled through that knot. I can only hear my breathing. In and out. In and out. Long and slow. Open fields. Gentle breezes. My shoe is coming off I think! Is my pistol still under my shoulder? Okay good, it is. My backpack, did it unzip? Nope, don't think so. Ouch, my back! My shoulder is caught again! Damn it that hurt. Nashira? Oh, okay, you are right here. In and out. Roaring ocean waves. Open spaces. In and out. Okay, my shoe is going to come off—damn it my back! Wait…I feel something. The air is thick. Is there someone else in here with us? Damn it, Nash! Okay, right there. In and out. In and out. Open spaces—I swear I feel something or someone. Need to open my radio channel. Squeeze Nash's hand. She should stop. In and out. Open spaces. Okay, she stopped. Need to get hand to ear. Nice, there we go._

Smething was wrong though. Suddenly, Toby spoke into his radio, "Pira, come in."

"Toby I hear you five-by-five, what's up?"

"Is there a surveillance camera near Vein 90?"

He could hear her set down a cup of coffee and tap her keyboard quickly.

"Got it, hang on a second Toby," Pira mumbled obviously chewing on her tongue.

"Ah, so you guys went through there. Does that lead to C-Sec?"

Toby avoided the question, just in case she was caught and was now working for the bad guys; this way, she couldn't lead the officers to this electrical vein.

"Can you look at the footage and make sure no one came in after us? We are in here right now and I just have a feeling…"

"Okaaaay…I see you now let me check this out."

The silence was defining waiting for her reply.

"Toby…I got a turian crawling in there!"

Her words punched him in the face. Hot tingles dripped from the top if his head to the tip of his toes. _How in the hell did it figure out where we were?_

"Toby! He came in five minutes after you! He should be right behind you!"

_What!_

_No!_

_Oh God!_

_No!_

"Stand still for a second," Toby hissed into the communication channel. He held his breath and glanced behind him through the impenetrable forest of wires so thick, he couldn't see his shoes. He began listening, listening for anything. Black fibers were stretched taught, consuming Toby's body in the black fibrous void. Suddenly, a thick black wire moved from behind. Nashira and Brian were in front of him with _nobody _behind them. It was only one thing.

_The Hunter._

"Go!"

Toby let go of Nashira's hand and began clawing tenaciously at the cords, pulling himself through the thicket. It was like something right out of a nightmare, where he tries to run from a beast with one goal in mind, total annihilation of his physical and spiritual self. Not only did the beast want his physical form to be utterly destroyed by its claws that lay hidden in the black, oily recess of its paw, it wanted to consume his soul with its sheer wicked gravitational pull to store it in a blackened void for its own amusement and pleasure. Toby could feel its viscous arms crawling across the wires, pulling its formless body through the tangled mess like a cloud of ants migrating across tree limbs which was destroying everything in their path, leaving a wake of oppressive death. This _thing _was unidirectional with a single goal, no matter what happened to its physical form. He could hear it growl like a feral dog guarding its territory, spewing inky saliva from its diseased obsidian colored mouth while flashings its lacerated bloated gums, milky lifeless eyes, and exuding black ooze from its tainted snout. The thing was right on Toby's tail nipping at his heels, callously clawing at his legs but slipped off the thick fabric of his jeans.

Toby found himself screaming as the Hunter resembled whatever attacked his fiancée in the nightmare. It conjured the visceral imaginary world that only existed in his brain. He clawed at the wires, but they slipped through his blood slick palms which he tore open grabbing at the rubber, peeling the skin off his bones. Pain was nothing, although it was present, it was the pressure the Hunter released from its demonic anatomy that only existed in the realm of nightmares that affected him. The Hunter grabbed his leg again, clamping down on it with mechanical strength not letting go. Toby could hear its form change from a self aware syrup to a machine. It hissed, releasing steam from its hot internals. Toby could hear the metallic clanking of metal doors opening and the wheeze of conveyor belts dumping coal into its sweltering orange furnace; he could even feel the waves of mechanical heat ripple through the cords, and its power vibrating the matter around him as it reached a new apex in strength.

His life was going to end if he didn't do anything do stop this brute from dragging him into its blistering metallic cradle of infinite agony which is fueled by brimstone and scintillating tongues of blistering flame. Toby was falling deeper and deeper into this nightmare, soon to never be awoken from his mental hysteria, blind from reality and utterly dominated by the cataclysmic defeat. Using all of his energy, he grabbed the carbine, unfolded it in the cramp area and dumped a thick curtain of slugs into the beast's hiding place. Wires sparked and popped, severed from the high velocity ammunition. Six fingers wrapped around Toby's arms and pulled him though the wires, away from the tyrannical atmosphere the demon possessed. All he could hear was the rumble of fear drumming in his ears while bordering an eternal neurotic stupor. Out of nowhere, he was free of the horrendous thicket of wires. The air was as thick as soup in this new section.

_Yes, open space._

"Toby," Nashira screamed, almost breaking her voice as she was terrified for her husband's health.

"The…Hunter…it was him," Toby gasped getting to his feet. The tunnel now opened up to ten feet in diameter and they were no longer climbing through a hedgerow of wires. Blue lights were present along with circuit boards, a path lit by incandescent paint, and a ladder on the far end about two-hundred meters away.

They made it.

Brian grabbed the carbine from Toby and shouldered it, training the lips of the gun at the wires waiting for the Hunter to come through.

"We move now," Brian screamed backing up. Toby pulled his pistol out, pointed it at the ladder at the far end while Nashira was shielded by both of their muscular bodies.

One-hundred fifty meters…

One-hundred meters…

Fifty meters…

"Contact!"

Brian pulled the trigger in concentrated bursts, putting rounds in the tight fist of wires down range while leaning into the carbine, making his heavy body eat the recoil to keep his weapon stable. Rounds snapped by their heads as the Hunter peeked out like an eel from its cave attacking his prey with accurate pistol fire. Red blobs thwacked into the blue metal and glowed like orange eyes though glacial ice staring them down.

"Pira," Toby screamed into his ear piece.

"Yeah Toby?"

"Is there a main hub were electricity comes through into the building of the academy," he screamed pushing his hands on Nashira's bottom to force her up the ladder.

"Yes there is Toby."

"We are coming through there. Clear that room out if you can. I don't want to take any innocent lives. Once we get in there, we will further need your help!"

Bullets passed over their heads as Toby caught a glance of the Spectre emerge from the wires. It started using steel I-beams as cover to shoot at his prey. More rounds broke the sound barrier, shortly followed by the delayed sound of the Hunter's pistol discharging, punching holes in the floor and wall behind them. Nashira opened the hatch on the ceiling which flooded warm, yellow light into the cold tunnel. Toby climbed up next with his bloody hands sticking to the frozen metal like placing a tongue on a pole in the middle of winter. Again, he could block out the pain. Nashira's hand grabbed his to pull him into a room which was packed with processors and power boxes. Brian's carbine thundered before climbing up the ladder while Toby stuck his hand in the hatch blind firing, trying to keep the Spectre's head down. Miraculously, Brian was pulled out by Nashira without a scratch. How a Spectre could miss from at least one-hundred fifty meters with a pistol possibly meant he was wounded. There was no excuse for that kind of inaccuracy. Brian kicked the heavy metal hatch close with his boot and twisted the wheel as tight as it could go, inflating his arm muscles to the point of them imploding in appearance.

"Jesus Christ that was fucking insane," Brian screamed, collapsing to the flood shaking with fear and adrenaline. "How in the hell did he get behind us like that? That shouldn't have happened."

"We have to move you guys. That hatch isn't going to keep it from escaping," Toby fumed standing up. "Nash, are you okay," he asked checking her for wounds.

"Toby I am fine," she whimpered on the verge of sobbing. From fear, anger, revenge, or just nerves, Toby couldn't tell. What happened in there…Toby wishes to never revisit. He almost lost it mentally and physically. He lost his hat and jacket in the tunnel, but it did not really matter because he had his gun, backpack, and Nashira, which was all he needed. What sounded like a hammer slamming into metal, the Hunter shot the hatch from below, creating hot dimples in the metal barrier. Escaping was their top priority. The room they were in was the same temperature as the tunnel because it had to keep all the computers and electronics from overheating. Right now they were in C-Sec's brain.

"Pira, get us out of here now," yelled Toby while navigating through the maze of electronic walls searching for the door.

"There is a door at the 'northern' side of the room."

Toby glared at his watch figuring out the direction. The door shined like a beacon, finally spotting it in the distance.

"It is locked," Toby screamed over the electronics. The red holographic pad changed green and the door hissed open leading into a barren hallway that was plain in appearance with four flat metal walls and sterile, white fluorescent lights in two rows running down the center of the ceiling. "We are out, can you lock it behind us Pira?"

"Sure thing." The door clicked with the holopad changing scarlet. "There is an elevator at the far end of the hall, do you see it?" A silver door that was camouflaged with the wall resided at the end of the hallway. A blue dot was at waist level with an arrow pointing up.

"Got it!"

The three ran down the hall as hot embers exploded from the metal door like a surge of red glowing locusts as the Hunter tried to escape. It was both escaping and trying to get a lucky shot off at one of them through the door. Still trying to catch his breath, Toby further sprinted down the hall with the black grout between the white tiles blurring together as he ran as fast as he could towards the elevator. The Hunter was right behind them, tearing through the door ravenously, desperate to kill his prey as if trying to satisfy its gripping addiction to violence. He could feel the Hunter's hunger like part of himself was consumed inside of it. He could sense its every heartless emotion. The thing wanted out of that room and to feast on its game after fasting for decades, lying dormant finally awakening; its survival teetered on the edge of a razor.

Food.

That is all it needs.

It needed to sink its teeth into the pathetic animal it has been chasing. They had to run faster, it was getting close to breaking free of its temporary cage. Toby slammed a shaking fist into the blue button shortly followed by the door opening.

"In, now!"

Like a caliginous shadow, the Hunter appeared in the hall, glaring at the three with blood lust raging through its veins. Toby could see the fluorescent lights dim from its appearance, sucking the energy from the overhead tubes, devouring the beams of light from its sheer gravity it possessed, further adding to its nefarious demeanor. Only its eyes glimmered in the fading light which bored a maw into Toby, attempting to kill him with a glare. Its eyes carved into his chest and the pain was so pure, he could taste the metallic bite of blood. It didn't even have to physically touch him; its eyes were alone powerful enough to kill him. The doors shut and the oppressive atmosphere dissipated into a lingering haze which clouded his vision, causing sable waves to flap at the edges of his vision like black flags trembling in winter's bitter breath.

"Did you see that," Toby asked failing to catch his breath.

"What, the Hunter," Nashira asked clasping onto the railing bordering the elevator's interior walls.

"No, what it was doing to the air around it."

Nashira and Brian stared at each other, then looking back to Toby. At that moment, Toby realized the Hunter had some sort of allusion that affected only him; it had the same depressing aura as the black mass in his nightmares which hurdled towards him from the dark. _What in the hell is going on with me? Am I going crazy?_

Toby ignored his insane thoughts, suddenly feeling the slightest bit safer in the elevator.

"Where are we going," Toby asked through the mic to Pira who he could hear breathing heavily, obviously listening to every word that they spoke.

"Away from the basement, there is a building wide alert Toby. Everyone in here is arming up. They are going to stop you from getting to the Executor."

Toby scratched his head.

"How do they know I am coming after the Executor Pira?" Toby asked.

"Not sure Toby, but they know."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Skave slid to the elevator door and pounded it out of rage. He let them get away again.

_You idiot Skave, you let them get away!_

_No I didn't!_

_Oh yes you did you failure._

_I am not a failure!_

Shutting the voice off from inside his head, Skave grabbed his knife, stuck it between the doors and pried them open. Getting an inch of leeway, his fingers crawled through the crack to pull the heavy doors aside and got inside of the elevator shaft. Concrete walls shrouded by wires, steel I-beams, and cords stared back at him tauntingly.

_Failure. Failure. Failure._

The tensioned cords wobbled slightly from the elevator traveling up the shaft with Heiko, Hilliard, and Nashira. They were safely tucked away in the metal box. Quickly, Skave took aim and slowly squeezed the trigger.

_Bam!_

_Bam!_

_Bam!_

His gun shots echoed in the hard shaft. He put round after round into the bottom of the elevator and he could hear the mass accelerated slugs eating through the steel floor. The box shuddered to a stop hundreds of feet above his head and his mandibles flared with excitement. His arms snaked out of the shaft to slap the up arrow with his hand. He wasn't going to give up on them this easily; they were not going to get away yet. The exact location to where they were heading was imprinted in his brain and hopefully he could kill two birds with one stone. The way Toby screamed at him when Skave almost had him was amusing…no, it was hysterical. He sounded like a child waking up from a nightmare. Just a measly, little boy who was drenched in a cold sweat; it was pathetic.

Skave patiently waited for the elevator to come to a halt and let the steel doors open. The sight that was revealed before his eyes was glorious. Red blood was spattered in the elevator's mirrored walls. Fine crimson spherules of gore painted the reflective surfaces and a smeared hand print scored the floor. It had only _three_ fingers. Skave grinned knowing he took out the last loved one in Toby's life. Now, he had to finish this.

Executor Kieran sat in his office on the top floor of C-Sec academy, overlooking the beautiful vista of the Citadel. His panoramic window yielded an utterly gorgeous view of the five Ward arms stretching into space like they just woke up from a restful nap. The dark blue carpet of his commodious office muffled the footsteps that approached from behind. With his legs beginning to tremble from standing, Kieran sat down in his lustrous upholstered leather chair, swiveling it to face his asari secretary who was assigned to the academy to keep him in touch with everyone here and to serve him whenever he visited C-Sec. Kieran's eyes drew a line from her feet, which wore blue formal high heels, to her face, which was accented perfectly by the tight knee high business dress. She coughed into her fist clearing her throat.

"Sir, we have had a security breach."

"Hasona," he asked, noticing the nervous lines that creased her forehead.

"It's Heiko and friends," she shot back.

"Friends?"

Kieran's face was kept stoic, hiding his mixed emotions.

"Yes. There is also a turian chasing them. Do you know anything about that," Hasona asked, raising a black tattooed eyebrow. Kieran ignored the question and fell back to plan C.

"Try to contain him to the confines outside my office. If they abide to our armed officers requests, I want them dead."

"What of the turian, Executor?"

"Kill him too if he obstructs any opportunities of my second request. He is…volatile."

"Yes sir. If you could stay inside your office while we deal with these problems."

"Not a problem," Kieran whispered, spinning in his chair to watch over the city…his city.

Toby stared at the holographic screen above the elevator doors letting them know where they were going.

_VIP Sector._

Spending all these years in C-Sec, both Brian and Toby knew where they were heading. Pira must have totally hacked the elevator clearance to allow them up here to finish their intimate business and get Gia back from the monster leading C-Sec. Twenty-four hours ago, Toby shook hands with the Executor, the one who took Gia and, or killed her. The pistol in his hands was ready to take the life of this foul leader, cutting the head off the corrupt serpent called C-Sec. The revenge was immense and still slithering under his skin; he could feel its barbed edges scratching and burning his sore, tender flesh.

"Do you think they have Gia up here," Nashira asked with her voice cold as ice.

"They will, I can feel it," Toby responded, turning to look at his wife who clasped a pistol tightly in her hands. She was prepared to get Gia back no matter the cost. Both of them were blind with revenge, yearning to kill the person who took the only thing worth living for in their lives. White hot pain arced up Toby's leg which exploded from his foot. Screaming out from pain, he stumbled against the wall and in shock, looked at his foot which had bloody tufts of cushioning protruding from his shoe. Another bullet blew a fist size hole into the floor, spitting hot shrapnel from the glowing hot mouth.

"He is shooting at us from down below," Nashira shouted getting against the wall, making herself a smaller target as yet another slug penetrated the ground and missed everyone else. "Toby!" Nashira's eye went wide staring at Toby's foot which was dribbling blood all over the floor. "Let me patch that up!" dropping to her feet, Nashira grabbed Toby's foot as the elevator shuddered to a stop. The pain only got worse looking at the wound, so he tore his terrified gaze from it and picked Nashira up from the ground, standing her up as she used the wall to get off her knees.

"We _need_ to get out of here now," Toby shouted at the two as the doors opened to the top floor of C-Sec. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed Nashira while standing on the ball of his foot and pulled her close. "Nash honey, we have to get Gia. Don't worry about me." Her silvery eyes narrowed and she nodded. The three of them exited the elevator into a short hallway leading to an open two story room with large glass windows.

From a distance, they heard shouting, "Damn it, they got up here!"

Toby knew that if the Executor was here, there were going to be armed guards, possibly with armor that had kinetic barriers. He didn't know the layout of this upper floor except for it held several offices, the Executor's being one of them, and the others were meeting places for diplomats and Council members. With a bullet that took off some of his toes, a broken collar bone, sliced open back, and a crushed arm, fighting wasn't going to be easy, but Brian had a Spectre carbine and Nashira was perfectly okay. Putting his wife in harm's way was against his most important rule, but it had to be done, especially since the officers were going to be shooting to kill.

"We don't want to kill you," Brian shouted, shouldering the carbine while approaching the end of the hallway. "We are innocent you idiots!" The guards hiding in the room beyond went silent at Brian's poor attempt at peace.

"Looks like we are going to be forced to fight," Brian whispered. Again, Toby looked down at his foot, suddenly feeling his shattered bones grind against each other. The pain was there, but with the help of adrenaline and N7 training, he was able to block it out. He took the bag off of his shoulders, still clenching the pistol tightly in his slick fist, which was chewed raw from his hysterical attempt of getting free. A sound behind him startled all three of them as the elevator hissed downwards towards the Hunter. Suddenly, Toby noticed the elevator behind them was the private elevator and there was a much bigger one coming up across the room from them, most likely filled with armed C-Sec guards prepared to take Toby's life. They had to make a move now or they all were going to die. Toby knew the guards don't wear their armor all the time, so at some point, they have to get in their suit and get in fast. Maybe they didn't have on their suits yet, he did notice a bit of shock in their voice. Was it coming from their current state of not having armor on? Toby went through all the possibilities in his head formulating a plan of attack. If they were to fire on them, that means the three of them were going to have to kill the guards. They were already in way over their heads with important leaders manipulating everyone else through skilled deception, skewing fact from fiction. Killing them was going to be the only way to break through and get Gia back.

Toby stared at Nashira, whose back was against the wall, holding the pistol with confidence, but lacking the fluidity of a trained soldier like Brian and himself. There was no way she was going to get hurt, no way at all. He was going to protect her at all costs no matter the outcome. Her two toes were spread out on the marble floor, obviously uneasy about their chances with the fight to come. Or was she nervous about Toby…or Gia. It was all of those impeding factors, she was no soldier. Never in her life should she have to touch a firearm with the intent to take a person's life. This whole thing was wrong. This should have never happened to them. Rage enveloped his sorrow like a storm, realizing the man behind this morbid situation was behind one of those doors. He _needed _to kill him.

"Brian, I know there are no more than two guards up here at time, which is a fact. If we wait any longer, the Hunter in going to come up our ass and take all of us out along with whoever is coming up in that elevator. Right now, we get past the guards by killing them or wounding them, grab Gia, wait for the Hunter to open the elevator doors, we waste him, and we escape." The plan was the best thing Toby could think of at the moment. It was sloppy, but had a slim chance of working. Nashira's gleaming eyes glared at the two from behind the polarized mask uncertain about the outcome, but no matter what, she was with them all the way.

Heiko had a bad feeling about this one…like he wasn't going to make it. Never before has he felt a sensation like this. There was a pulsing void of anticipation that overwhelmed his chest and clasping onto each breath making each air molecule thousands of time heavier. He was going to keep Nashira alive. Staring at her for a split second, he just wanted to pull off her mask, stare into those eyes, brush his thumb against her suave cheek and absorb the infinite beauty that lay hidden behind the acrylic shield which eyes couldn't penetrate. Only several times in his life has he seen her face, it was almost too pure for him to look at, like he was tainting it with his eyes when he caressed her placid features. He loved her so much, more than anything at that very moment; he could feel the euphoric sensation tighten in his stomach and spread its warmth like sipping hot chocolate on a cold winter night. Toby wanted this over with.

"Brian, peek out and lay down a field of fire." Toby pointed at the two-foot-thick pillars bulging out of the circular wall. "I can use these bulges as cover if needed. All you need to do it suppress these bastards." Brian nodded while peeking out of cover momentarily before automatic fire rippled through the room which lashed at Toby's eardrums.

"I got two turians around the corner in the armory," Brian screamed barley holding onto the carbine with his broken hand. "On the count of three, I will cover you Toby! One…two…three!" Brian peeked from cover, squeezing the trigger of the carbine providing an accurate field of fire onto the small room's two corners, trying to shoot through the walls to peg his targets. Toby ran behind him while getting to the first pillar.

Brian kept up the fire, not letting the guards peek back out. Out of nowhere, Nashira ran in a low sprint to Toby and got behind her husband. Seeing her run out into the open with guards willing to take her life two dozen feet away infuriated him. Pointing his pistol around the corner, he unleashed fire into the room, tagging a turian in the face that never got completely dressed in armor. The slug popped the side of his exposed head open like a bursting balloon choked with blue fluid and grey curdles. His rage at the moment felt beastly, inhuman...demonic; there was no sympathy for that dead person; he was just a dead piece of meat. Toby wanted more, yes, more blood. More violence, more taking of lives, more shattered skulls, more people to be indoctrinated by the sludgy fear he wanted to induce. Screaming like a wounded animal on the edge of death, Toby exited his cover shooting wildly at the armory, not caring for his own safety and physical form. If he were to get shot, it wouldn't slow him down; nothing was going to slow him down at all. Something that has been lying dormant in a dark turbid pit has climbed its way out and is now controlling his every action. This once slumbering brute wanted blood and life to gnaw on to satisfy its hunger.

The last turian dropped from around cover, quivering from wounds that riddled his totaled body that was no longer a threat. Toby's lethal sixth sense caused him to turn around and beam at two doors. He could _smell _the one that ruined his life, cowering behind that door. He could hear his shivering body quake and _feel_ his fear coursing though Toby's veins like they were one being.

_ Shouting, I hear shouting behind me._

A three fingered hand grabbed Toby's steely arm which pulled him towards the two doors. Suddenly, the pressure in the room got intense like something with infinite power entered.

_ The Hunter_.

Nashira screamed with her voice cracking with fear as Toby turned around, noticing a dozen of armed and armored C-Sec personnel surge into the room with rifles drawn. Off in the corner of the room was the Hunter looming over Brian's mortal form, enveloping his dearest friend in its soul consuming blanket. Spinning his head focusing on Nashira, he knew Brian was going to die by the Hunter who was planning to annihilate his body, disemboweling him with its claws, shredding through nerves, strands of bloody fat and muscle in search for his soul. Toby turned away, not wanting to watch his best friend die in a gory way. A scream lashed out from the room, a man's scream which was drowning in complete and utter agony. Brian, his friend whom he considered family was dead. Rods of red swam into view like a paintbrush's streak, each wiry strand filtering all other emotion into pure rage and hatred as Toby kicked open the door of the Executor's office. A panoramic window acting as a wall spilled the yellow lights of the city into the lavish office space. A silhouette of a decrepit man sat in a chair behind a desk with legs crossed and hands folded neatly in his lap.

"Nash, lock the door!"

Nashira followed his order before the evil in the room behind them could slosh inside of the Executor's office. Toby's sluggish dream like state wore off. He leveled the pistol to the Executor's face. The red streaks atomized into a crimson haze of unadulterated hate which pushed his mental stability to the brink. He had to physically fight his finger from pulling on the trigger harder which would cause them to get no answers.

"Heiko, I have been expecting you," Kieran addressed Toby calmly. His introduction confused Toby slightly. He wanted to blow him away even more for this smug greeting. The turian should be on his knees pleading to live but no, he wasn't.

"I have come for Gia. I know you have her!"

The turian flared his mandibles confused.

"But Toby, I thought you…I thought you would know," he coolly said back, keeping his voice high whom seemed confused at Toby's request.

"Stop playing games with us and hand her over you bosh'tet," Nashira screamed, now aiming her pistol at his face. She walked close, leaned over the desk, and pressed the barrel against his forehead.

"Ah, I think I understand what has happened. Nashira, I am shocked you are still with him. Toby, I take it you hid the evidence," Kieran asked, finding the whole situation amusing. "For such a smart human, you don't know how to put the puzzle pieces together."

"We don't want to hear what you have to say, hand my daughter over," Nashira screamed again as Toby walked up behind Kieran searching for Gia.

"Toby, if you would have just died yesterday then none of this would have happened," Kieran spat out. Toby's face became hot, baffled at what he just said. "You are just too stubborn." Toby kicked Kieran's desk.

"Shut up! What are you talking about?"

The turian rubbed his hands together.

"In that attack on the Embassy yesterday, you should have died."

"Yeah, but I was better than those batarians." Toby grabbed the meek turian by the collar and dragged him to his feet. "You underestimated me."

"To tell you the truth I haven't."

Toby peered deep into the icy blue eyes of the Executor.

"What are you getting at," Toby questioned fiercely, fighting the urge to kill him right then.

"Vikar's plan failed the other day and he got his punishment."

"What are you talking about," Toby questioned not tearing his gaze from Kieran.

Kieran laughed, "Those batarians were hired by me to kill you, to extinguish the human threat to C-Sec."

"You are lying. Anyone of the CSSR teams could have gone in that building the other day, there was no way to know. Your 'plan' doesn't make any sense, it is too reckless."

"Did you smell alcohol on Skave's breath Heiko, did you," Kieran giggled. Toby's brow furrowed confused at what he was saying. "Did he offer to go in first? Tell me, did he?"

"Yes he did."

"I told Vikar to get drunk because I knew your superiors would notice. It was the perfect cover up, right? That gave you the chance to move in and die but you didn't. I gave those batarians strict orders to eliminate you, but I underestimated your strength. I know you had a hunch because one of those batarians said your name."

Toby didn't want to believe it, not at all and he could feel Nashira's gaze burning a worried hole into Toby's face.

"But in the debriefing the batarian didn't say anything," Toby shot back.

"I had Vikar edit that bit out. Everyone was against you in the trailer Toby." Kieran continued. "So I had Vikar finish you at your house, but I underestimated the drugs."

Toby had enough of this. "Where is our Gia?"

Kieran chuckled. "She is dead Toby and I am shocked you didn't know that."

"You…you killed her?" Toby's knees were growing weak and his rage thickened into volatile fumes. He still didn't totally believe him.

"You killed _all _six of my men I sent to your house Toby, I don't appreciate that."

"No!" Toby interrupted, "There were more than that, and one of your men took Gia away from us. One of your men hurt her and pulled off her mask. I know you have her!"

"Pulled off her mask," Kieran asked.

"Yes!" Toby grabbed his backpack and rifled through his belongings searching for Gia's mask. Nashira began whimpering off his left. The astonishing thing was the mask wasn't in his bag. Baffled, he ran a hand through his hair, wincing at his collar bone which screamed out in pain.

"Toby…you killed Gia," Kieran announced. "We have been drugging you Toby."

"Impossible!"

"It is very possible Toby. Do you remember the night your fiancée was murdered? The bar you were at, can you remember any familiar faces?" The nightmare was still fresh in his mind.

_The bar. The asari bartender. Familiar face._

_ "You better stay hydrated." _

_ Familiar faces._

_ Oh God!_

_ Fomina said the same thing to me yesterday._

_ No, it couldn't be._

_ Fomina was that bartender? Was she drugging me?_

_ At the Interstellar Shot Glass, she handed me my water, that is when she must have administered the drugs._

"Fomina," Toby burped flatly.

"There you go Toby. Remember back when Rena was murdered. Were you scared?"

"Yes I was."

"That drug reacts with the chemicals in your brain when you get scared. It is a hallucinogenic drug. Do you wonder why there was no evidence at the sight of your fiancée's murder? The claims you made of turians attacking you was your imagination, you killed Rena. You never beat that one turian to death, you know, the one that broke your hand?"

Everything Kieran was saying felt surreal and unbelievable yet it made so much sense. A cowl of nausea overwhelmed him and felt like vomiting everything that was left in his stomach. "Now tell me this, were you scared when you came back and killed everyone at your apartment?"

"Yes I was."

"Was there a point when you felt like you forgot what happened or were in a haze of rage you couldn't comprehend anything?" Toby remembers taking out the guard that was waiting for him to come off the elevator, and then wasting the three turians in the living room. Overwhelmed by rage, he lost track of the world around him. "That is when you must have killed Gia."

There was a lengthy silence.

"Toby, if you don't believe me, here is a photo of her body we recovered." Kieran handed Toby a thin piece of plastic that held a digital image of Gia's body lying on a metallic tray. Toby crashed to his knees with is world spinning. He stared at his daughter's dead body which was naked and splayed out on a medical tray with a small black hole torn in her chest. Gia's eyes were closed with a contorted appearance on her face like she died in pain from her own father's hand.

_ Oh God!_

_ Oh God!_

_ Oh God!_

Toby wheezed and his stomach lurching, purging strands of thick spittle, stomach acids, and yellow water. This wasn't happening, it couldn't have happened; he remembers everything and he didn't kill her…at least he thinks he didn't. Toby knew first hand hallucinogenic drugs were a thing of wonder with his work in C-Sec. This whole plot was true, it had to be. Toby's glassed over eyes scanned the image once more. It was defiantly her with a bullet wound to the chest. Gia, his daughter, was murdered by her father. He was too terrified to move an inch, not even move his eyes. The drugs explained why the Hunter appeared the way it did with its oppressive aura. He was scared each time he saw it which must have activated the hallucinogenic drugs. Even the flashback he had at dinner, then the one he had while holding Gia made sense. Everything fit snuggly together in Kieran's extravagant plan to take down Toby. He could hear Nashira having a break down, sobbing like Toby has never heard her. They were deep, chest sucking sobs which rippled the air she sucked in.

"Toby, your friend Brian has been operating with me the whole time too, feeding us valuable information."

"Why," Toby whispered, not able to raise his voice above a subtle hiss.

"Why? Well humans don't deserve a place in the ranks of the Spectres. That is why Toby, nor do you deserve to serve along side of the Citadel Security Special Response. It is purely a trust issue," he smoothly said enjoying his voice.

"So…I was a Spectre candidate? That is why you ruined my life?"

Each time the Executor spoke, it was like getting punched in the chest then baptized in boiling water; it was more painful than all his wounds. Brian, his friend, who was now dead, was helping the enemy. What else did Toby overlook? Can he take anymore? He opened his eyes to reach out for Nashira who also crumpled to the ground. Suddenly, the most painful thing that has ever happened to him suddenly ripped through his body.

_Nashira pushed him away._

"No Toby," she whispered through her wet mouth. "No." Each word that came from her mouth was more painful than a gunshot. It tore at every nerve in his broken body, blinding him with sorrow. Black enveloped his vision, feeling his mind lose grip in reality. The one thing he swore to protect, _he _singlehandedly tore apart in the blink of an eye. He ruined his life and the life of the ones he loved. The pistol in his hand still wanted to kill the one he hated, God he needed to kill the one who did this to him. Toby opened his eyes slowly, which were crusted in his tears and glanced at Nashira who couldn't make eye contact with him; it would have been too painful for her to stare at the one who murdered her daughter. Toby had to kill the one. Bringing his arm up, the icy cold barrel of the pistol kissed the side of his head.

_Kill the one who did this._

Toby Heiko's finger pressed against the trigger needing to end his life. There was a white flash and black.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Skave played with the safety on his pistol as the elevator slowed, finally coming to a sudden stop. Through the metal doors, he could hear gunfire. A firefight was breaking out between Heiko and the guards above. Adrenaline still had a firm grip on his blood stream. The hormone brought his senses to a totally different level of awareness. The smell of blood sent a jolt of excitement through his body, figuring out it was the smell of human blood, not quarian. He must admit the game he played with Heiko was an exhilarating one at best. Two predators facing off in a game of cat and mouse with a whole city to sneak around in was why Skave signed up and was chosen for the Spectres. Hunting and killing was in his blood, he was a natural predator and was at the top of the galactic food chain. Nothing could touch him _what so ever_.

The elevator doors pinged and open.

Adrenaline flooded his system like smoke filling a house from a raging fire, swirling though every hallway and room which was his veins and muscles. His vision went clear and time slowed as he picked up on everything from the sound of breathing to the cacophony of noise the city produced. It percolated through the thick walls which was usually barely distinguishable from a low rumble. A large human was crouched in the hallway and aiming _his_ rifle around the corner. Brian spun around to stare Skave dead in the eye. He dropped his weapon with a guilt leaden appearance on his face. The turian nodded at his ally and pushed into the room hungry to kill Heiko and possibly his other target. There Heiko was, kicking open the door with his foot then closing it behind him. Skave ran across the room and pulled at the handle which didn't work. He then waved at the motion sensor burrowed away above the door, but it didn't open.

"Hands up or we will fire!"

Skave fumed and dropped his firearm. He spun around to meet a dozen armed C-Sec guards in formation, all training their weapons on Skave and ready to put a bullet in his face without question.

"Skave Arterius, I am a Spectre of the Council sent to kill Toby Heiko now stand down!" None of them moved, except for a salarian that scanned him with his omni-tool, confirming his identification.

"He is fine, secure the human in the corner," a turian who seemed to be in charge ordered while approaching the door. "They locked it behind them, Keera, get up here and get it open now!" An asari protruded from the crowd, fell to a knee, and went to work. Skave picked up his pistol and clenched it with so much force he could hear the ceramic pieces shift under the machine like grip. Again, Skave failed to catch Toby and exterminate him. He didn't want to admit this human was a worthy adversary, it was impossible a human had the skill to out maneuver a Spectre. Now, C-Sec was going to take Toby away and stick him in a cell for the rest of his life instead of completing the mission which he was assigned. Also, with all these other C-Sec personnel around, there was no way he was going to do everything the Voice ordered him to.

"Almost there sir," Keera said, gnawing on her tongue and tapped the device on the door.

"Hurry up; we can't let this maniac kill the Executor!"

Skave beamed at the turian leader grinning.

_Fool._

Skave paced back and forth wondering what was going on in that room and what was going through Toby's head. There should have been a gunshot minutes ago, but the air was thick and silent, so thick, he could cut it with a blade. More guards came pouring through the elevator along with Komani, which Skave recognized immediately from his extensive studies of C-Sec. Her broad shoulders brushed against the crowd of people as she pushed her way through the door, glanced at Skave and then to the turian leader.

"LT, what is the situation?"

"Heiko locked himself in here along with Nashira. I haven't heard any gunshots yet which means Kieran is still alive," the turian responded over the chatter in the room. Komani crossed her arms and brushed something off her shoulder with a statuesque face.

"That doesn't mean this human hasn't killed him yet. He could have strangled him, kicked his face in, killed him with a chair, or even used a damn pen to stab him to death. This man is dangerous you idiot!"

"Got it open," Keera yelled, getting behind the wall. The door hissed open to reveal a startling sight Skave wouldn't have imagined to see in as thousand years. Heiko was on his knees with a gun pointed to his own skull ready to take his own life with Kieran standing over him and Nashira on the ground sobbing into her two hands. Toby, with so much to hate about the man who ruined his life surprisingly enough couldn't kill him. Humans were _so_ weak.

"Stop him!"

There was a loud pop as several officers fired tasers, shooting two prongs into the small of Toby's back propelled by nitrogen, sending nine-hundred kilovolts of electricity surging through his body. Colorful confetti-like identification chips twirled in the air like leaves on a cold autumn morning, finally fluttering to the floor. Nashira screamed and on all fours backed away from the phalanx of men entering the room while Toby convulsed on the floor while the non-lethal weapons snapped violently. Right then, Skave knew Toby was unreachable. Executing him in front of all these C-Sec officers was suicide with no possible way of getting out of the situation even with all his strings attached. Both targets were out of reach. His mission was a failure…as of right now.

_Silver eyes crushed._

_Sorrow flooding them like a great wave._

_Nashira._

_Lost you forever._

_Forgiveness cannot be rebuilt._

Toby's limp body was being dragged through a hallway with no grout. His boots weren't catching on anything. The floor was smooth. Maybe metallic, he couldn't tell. Voices burbled from somewhere underwater, just congested moaning_._

_Her hands felt cold._

_Frozen._

_Dead._

_No warmth._

_Machine like._

_Not caring or loving._

_Just cold._

A door slammed shut in the distance, sending a shock wave through the underwater world that plunged his ear drums, sucking out the contents painfully. He was dragged a little further.

_Gia is dead._

_I killed her._

_The drugs._

_I remember Fomina's face now._

_How could I be so stupid and unobservant?_

_My beloved daughter._

_Gone._

_Forever._

_I will never see her or feel her again._

_The void in my chest is spreading, grabbing at my sanity with its tentacles._

_I need to fight it off._

_Or will it be better if I just lose it?_

_There is nothing else left for me._

The cold tongue of steel licked his thighs. Finally snapping out of his torpor, his eyes opened and were bleached as lustrous light carved into the delicate, supple flesh. It sent a jet of molten copper racing through is brain. A turian silhouette blocked out the light that scored the surface of his eyes.

"Heiko, you are finally awake my friend."

The voice was friendly and charismatic yet all too familiar that sent a chill racing down his spine which festered to a body wide tingle. The voice of Executor Kieran was balmy yet cold as ice. Toby threw his arm up to strike him in the face, but restraints held back his punch as Kieran chuckled callously at his futile action. Even though his eyes weren't yet adjusted to the light, Toby notice he was naked, restrained to a steel chair in the center of a barren room. The metal chair was ice cold, not warming to his body heat for some reason. Toby has heard of these alloys, but never had the opportunity to feel it firsthand. Now however, the alloy was "burning" his skin, but was shortly followed by horrible sharp stings. The dopy looking turian's arms folded behind his back and began pacing.

"I know you are angry at me Toby, but I just can't even imagine how furious your wife, Nashira, must be."

When he said his wife's name, it was like Kieran had just dumped volatile fuel on the raging fire crackling in his chest. The restraints on his arms and legs frustrated him even more and the angle at which his arm was at was splitting the hairline fracture in his collar bone, spitting fire through his bloodstream. The incision on his back was bleeding freely now, pooling around his bare bottom and dripping down the leg of the chair. Toby was too infuriated to speak to the one who stood before him.

"I bet you are wondering where she is, am I right?" Toby glared up at Kieran with fire in his eyes. He wanted to kill him; every brain cell was intoxicated with violence and revenge. "I see you are not willing to talk. I let her go, but please Toby, don't think she is safe." The turian paused then started up again. "I wish you could have seen her body language while walking out the front door, it truly was pathetic. With nowhere to go and nothing left living for, what do you think she is going to do?" Toby wanted to say how strong of a woman she was, but that is exactly what the Executor wanted to hear. He wanted for Toby to speak and lash down his puny opinions and statements. Toby knew how to play the quiet game.

"You really aren't that talkative, are you?" Toby began to shiver from the cold air that gushed through A/C vents which settled their sharp icy edges into his skin. His bare feet struggled against the zip ties around his ankles. He tried to push the chair over, but even his seat was bolted down to the ground.

"You daughter Gia, Gia Heiko… did you love her? Ah, you must have. I found this on your desk, this little portrait of her." Toby's eyes flashed at the picture in Kieran's hands which belonged to him. Seeing that son of a bitch touching his stuff was frustrating, but when Kieran's voice spoke Gia's name, he wanted to crush his skull against the floor over and over until it was no longer a solid piece, but a grainy pulp. His eyes traced Kieran's lanky finger which caressed Gia's small face in the picture causing Toby to get dizzy with vengeance. "Too bad you killed her; put a bullet in her chest without even realizing it. You killed her like a coward…she will never forgive you where ever she is right now." Kieran put his face a foot away from Toby's, just taunting him. "She is looking down at you right now. She is thinking Daddy deserves this. I hate him for murdering me. Why did I ever trust him? That is what she is thinking and I don't even know what Nashira is doing right now. Hanging herself in a homeless shelter from a ceiling fan or a shower head? I know she isn't going to live long, eventually she will take her life because of your actions, Toby."

Toby pushed his head foreword in an attempt for a destructive headbutt, but the weak looking turian was quicker. A hand slapped Toby in the face, scraping skin off his cheek with a white flash of shock.

"I knew you had it in you, Toby. You are far weaker than I thought you _murderer._" Kieran pushed a gag in his mouth, forcing it deep into his throat. Toby gasped for air feeling suddenly claustrophobic while strapped to this chair and not being able to take the rag out of his mouth. Panic fueled the raging case of hysteria as Kieran stepped out of the room with the door closing shut behind him and the light went out. An impervious darkness that almost equaled the oily sludge in his nightmare was the only thing left. There was no way to tell which way was up or down, where the walls were, and his sense of direction went right down the gutter to swirl in an inky void of nothingness. The gag in this mouth tasted of blood which wasn't his, possibly a turians as it had a sweet tinge, but overall it tasted sour and smelled stale as if it was used for dozens of interrogations…or even torture. He knew very well C-Sec banned torture. That doesn't mean they listen to the rules. This whole operation was flawed like everything else in the galaxy.

Flawed.

The word flaw was more prevalent with what has unraveled over the past couple of days in his own personal life. Toby stood as still as possible trying not to swallow and fighting back the sensation with all the force he could muster. He could feel his Addams apple quivering, just wanting to shoot up, and forcing soothing saliva down his throat along with the rag that tickled the back of his tongue. His whole world began to spin as his sense of direction was completely lost. The chair felt like it was constantly falling backwards causing him to jump over and over again, afraid of slamming into the floor. The stained, used gag slipped deeper into his throat and claustrophobia pulled a plastic bag over his head that threatening to strangle him with pure hysteria. His foot smashed against the floor in his dire struggle firing hot white jets through his meek body. Pain like he has never felt before struck him in the stomach, pushing its fist deep, so deep his stomach flipped itself inside out. Then he felt it. The gag reflex struck him like a hammer, the most hated sensation he has ever felt. His body purged itself, spewing balmy curdled fluid from his throat, dousing the rag with vile, pulpy stomach juice.

The rag still sat in his mouth.

It was saturated with vomit.

The rag blocked it, forcing it back into his throat.

The thought of dying by choking on vomit was a something envisioned in only the most bizarre nightmares. Again, his stomach heaved its grainy contents relentlessly, but again, the puke was blocked by the gag. He was going to die in this small dark room without the love of anyone, forgotten in time, his whole life a meaningless flash which no one paid any attention to. Eyes watered, legs trembled, genitals throbbed, and brain about to burst, the door finally opened and shut. There was a hostile presence in the room, one that felt the need for violence. Silently, it stood in the corner of the room watching Toby in his struggle. Finally, it turned on the single light with a metallic click. A white halo rimmed the searing bulb as the _thing_ in the room walked closer to Toby, pinched the gag and plucked it out. Heiko spattered brown vomit in a fine mist which perfumed the air. He gasped desperately for air which filled his lungs like warm nectar, liberating the suffocating agony.

He coughed the rest of the stomach fluid out and squinted at the Hostile in the room. Or was it hostile, it just saved his life. The figure was turian, one that stood close to seven feet tall, wore civilian clothing, and observed Toby like a scientific specimen in a jar of formaldehyde. The sour, revolting smell of vomit tainted his chest and thighs which trickled down his naked body and began pooling on the floor. With the light as bright as a sun, the Hostile disappeared into the shadows of the room still studying him utterly fascinated.

"What…who are you," Toby gasped, blowing the regurgitated food out of his nose.

"The one that _is _hunting you."

Toby became as still as a placid lake on a hot summers eve, too shocked to move for the fear the Hunter's vision was based off of movement, but he was covered in sick, so it could smell him. His fear was still present, although not as concentrated because he lost everything worth protecting.

The Hunter's voice was low and crackly which sounded like walking over gravel, "I was tasked to kill you Toby Heiko." Toby could hear him shuffling. "I can kill you right now… but that would mean I would get put in jail. I don't want to go to jail." His voice was so vindictive and hostile, Toby could see him spouting anthracitic pollution from his mouth like an industrial smokestack. The Hunter approached Toby, stepping on his foot which had lost two of the smaller toes. A dull burn crimped his lungs and surged through his restricted body. "I am not going to lie… you were a worthy adversary, but a coward at the least. I have seen children braver than you Heiko. Your wife, _Nashira_," he hissed, "I am going to find her and kill her. I know she is out there aimlessly wandering around the city. Easy prey. Suicide is her only option, but I will catch her before she inflicts self harm."

The Hunter stepped off his foot and paced around the room.

"I have this knife of mine. It is dear to me." Toby glared at the Hunter. He wanted to kill him _so_ much right now. "I love it like a child. It is sharp," he chuckled, "very sharp. I am going to take that blade, push it into her thigh, find the joint and cut through it," he whispered, doing hand motions to mimic what he was going to do. "That is after I shatter her face plate, spoil her body with mine, and do unimaginable things to her. My mind Toby, is tainted. I have a _wild _imagination. Things you can't even fathom, horrible things." He savagely chuckled and prowled behind Toby's chair. His hate for the Hunter exponentially rose to new heights, the things he would enjoy doing to him went on and on. "Well…my time with you is up, I need to leave and find Nashira. Toby, I just want you to know she is mine, there is no way you can save her." The Hunter pulled something out of its pocket which infuriated Toby. His quarian watch dangled from the Hunter's hand in a taunting fashion. "Time is a ticking." The door opened and Toby finally passed out in the chair from rage, pain, revenge, and hate. Through his last conscious moments, he realized there was nothing he could do.

Skave exited the interrogation room which resided deep underground in the C-Sec academy. Five other rooms lined the circular walls, all of which weren't in use at the time and guarded by an old batarian whose face was creased with age and eyes glassed over like he has seen horrible things. Over the past months, the batarian trust was taking a rapid downhill climb. Skave only knew it was a small amount of time before these disgusting aliens were banished from the galactic society. With Toby out of reach and who was probably going to face capital punishment in the end, was no longer a threat and was going to die soon by the government or his own hands. Half of his mission was done and that little talk with Heiko proved to be more gratifying than ever. Nashira was in his sights but first, he had to do the other half of his mission which the Voice assigned to him. Nashira was just going be the cherry on top of his desert.

Hunting Heiko down was fun, but nothing compared to his next assignment. Although he was looking forward to playing with Nashira later, his actual mission needed to be completed first as Toby Heiko was just the smaller half of assignment. The Voice has given him strict instructions to do one more thing. Skave walked by the batarian's desk, grabbed his items, and approached the elevator. As this was the bottom floor, no one was inside, which was good. Skave liked being alone, a solitary killer, heartless and emotionless. Positive gravity pushed on his shoulders as he was shot through the building, heading to his destination at the top floor. Skave leaned against the elevators mirrored wall closing his eyes dreaming up sexual fantasies with the quarian he was going to find. Being a Spectre, his sex life was deprived and his hunger for satisfaction was at an all time high. He couldn't wait to finish his day with Nashira which he was going to smuggle into the safety of his hotel and relieve himself inside of her over and over again. The thoughts were enthralling, but were cut short when the elevator slowed to a stop.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Toby sat on the edge of his cot draped in baby blue cloths which smelled of earthy, industrial strength laundry detergent. The blue pants were too big and his shirt was too small which cut the circulation off in his thick arms, changing his hands purple. Every spot on his skin stung and was cherry red from the hose they washed him off with that felt like it could tear off his skin. A few minute patches of blood were present on his thin blue apparel; each tear stung and itched from the powdered soap they threw at him which got in his eyes and mouth. Shreds of bile were wedged between his teeth as traces of vomit were still present that were logged in his nose and mouth. His foot was bandaged and had omni-gel haphazardly smeared in the wound, but the miracle dug was working its magic and numbing the exposed tender flesh, healing it in a short amount of time. It was the same story with his back. He now had his arm in a bandage instead of the uncomfortable harness now that he was done running around the Citadel, but all of this couldn't even touch his true pain which throbbed in his chest.

A broken heart.

Gia was gone, murdered by her own father when he should have protected her. Heavy blankets of guilt suffocated him as he sat on the edge of his cot just staring at the 8x5 cell he was locked up in. A metallic bowl which was ergonomically designed as a universal toilet for most species clung to the wall in the far left corner and his cot was the only other thing in the cell; it was designed to be as miserable as possible. Even the metal springs pricked his backend as they punched through the olive drab wool blanket that smelled earthy and musty. Every sore muscle in his body screamed at him to lie down and rest, but he neither was afraid to nor felt worthy enough to rest after what he has done. Gia wouldn't like her daddy to rest; she probably wanted him to suffer for the rest of his life after the unforgivable act he has committed. With Nashira, she wasn't going to be alive for much longer. The Hunter was going to find her and do unimaginable things to her both physically and mentally.

Toby's throat clenched painfully, not able to hold back his emotions any longer, it was just better to let it out. He kept everything that has happened to him inside, never revealing all the horrible things he has done or seen to anyone; he even kept a lot of it from Nashira over the past seven years. Tears burned like acid on his skin. They trickled down his face and slipped into his mouth. He relished the salty tears after the sour muddy tinge of vomit which tainted his mouth. The tight ball of stress in his chest relaxed, but the loss of his family strangled him from within.

It was tearing him apart.

There was no way out of this mess. Toby, the Earth born who once lived in Philadelphia returned to his coward adolescent self who just lost both of his loving parents. There truly was nothing left to live for. The only thing he is able to do is rot in this cell for the rest of his life or be killed for his crimes. Dying sounded like the best idea at the moment as he broke apart on his bed, crying in his sore, bandaged hands.

The idea of killing himself plagued his mind, infecting everything inside his hard skull. It was the only way out of this horrible world which now seemed like a nightmare and death could bring him into a much happier place. The mysterious realm of death was somewhere where the pain of losing loved ones will never be present and where warm light will always be present so he could let the sweet rays caress his skin gently. Standing up, Toby ripped his sheets into strands and turned his bed on its end using the legs as a hanging platform. He wanted to escape this world forever and sweet suicide felt like the answer to escaping.

Sweet, sweet suicide was his salvation.

The breaking of his neck or asphyxiation sounded wonderful. There was no stopping. Finally making a noose, he slipped it around his neck and tied the other end onto the leg of the bed. Pulling hard on it with his hand, he feared the bed might flip, but it didn't.

"Gia… Nashira…I hope you forgive me for what I have done. I love both of you very much and I am sorry. Baby, I am coming for you, please let me explain when I get there." His legs trembled with excitement and anxiety. He tried to bend his knees so he could hang, but it was harder that he thought it was going to be.

_Come on Toby you coward, just do it. Bend your knees._

Without thinking, Toby bent his knees and the sheets clenched his neck viciously, choking the life out of him. All he could hear was the blood rushing around his head and throbbing like a battle drum preparing for war. His lungs burned for air. It was the most painful this he has ever endured. Black invaded his conscious mind and suddenly the throbbing felt good, no…beyond good, it was euphoric.

_More._

_More._

_More!_

_Yes! _

_Almost there._

Black enveloped his vision getting closer to the dreamland he envisioned when suddenly the door to his cell shot open and a large figure screamed, placing its meaty arms under his lifting with a grunt.

"No no no! I was almost there," Toby screamed when finally Brian's face came into view which peeked through the black tunnel.

"What in the hell are you doing," he whispered, furious at the sight.

"You!"

Toby's hands wrapped around Brian's neck, squeezing as hard as he could and forced his thumbs into Brian's larynx, but he was far too weak to defeat Brian as he was affected by his almost dead state.

"You died, I saw you die!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I heard the Hunter kill you, your scream, I heard it!"

"That was you screaming Toby. I know you have the right to be angry at me."

"Damn straight! You betrayed me after all these years, I trusted you Brian, I trusted you and I _will _kill you!"

"No, let me explain Toby…"

"There is nothing to explain. Now you are going to have to stop me from killing you right now you son of a bitch!"

Brian grabbed Toby's arms, pinning him to the ground before he did something stupid to either of them.

"Toby…I came to get you out of here, okay? Now shut up and let me make things clear to you. I was part of the operation to bring you in, but only for a good reason."

"What was this _good_ reason Brian, huh?"

"We caught wind that a Spectre was going to track you down when we were forming our strike team to get you at the Glass House. We were coming to get you, but I broke up from the group when I saw you were going to get away. I was to be undercover feeding intelligence to everyone. I did this to keep you safe. Vikar wasn't supposed to try and rape Nashira, that wasn't the plan. Toby, what if I told you Gia was safe and alive?"

Toby's eyes went wide shocked.

"I…"

"You would believe me, right?"

"But I saw her blood all over her bedroom and we tested it; I don't believe you at all Brian!"

"Yes that was her blood, but it didn't come from her at that time," Brian whispered.

"What are you saying?"

"Gia…she went to the doctors the other day, am I right?"

"Yes you are right," Toby shot back trying to figure out what was going on.

"Did she have a different doctor that her normal one?"

"Yeah…she did."

Brian pointed at Toby, "That doctor was working for C-Sec to set this whole thing up; they wanted you to believe she was hurt or even killed. I am guessing they got a blood sample from her and just spilled it all over the room after they took her away."

"But I saw a picture of her dead, my daughter had a bullet wound to her chest and she was out of her suit, how are you supposed to explain that Brian?" Suddenly it hit him. "Wait…last year she had an infection and had to be taken out of her suit." Toby's eyebrows knitted together thinking harder. "They must have got that image of her when she was healing in the clean room, but how?"

"C-Sec operatives are everywhere Toby, one must have grabbed a frame from a video feed during her surgery," Brian suggested.

"But the bullet hole, do you think they added that in with an editing program?"

"Most likely, Toby."

"Why were you working undercover for this operation?"

"If I didn't, I was going to get arrested later because they might have thought I would try and help you. Also, I was protecting you. No matter what, you were going to get caught. If I gave them the illusion that I was working against you, then I would be able to break you out of here. Also, I needed to get you away from the Spectre, he was going to kill both you and Nashira. I talked C-Sec out of putting Nashira into custody and letting her go free because she was indoctrinated by your insane ideas."

"Brian…was Pira part of this?"

"She is now. She got involved a little bit ago."

"The C-Sec guards outside the Interstellar Shot Glass. Did you warn them," Toby asked.

Brian sighed then said, "Yeah that was me. I knew if I could get you into custody, you would be safe from the Spectre. Getting you out of the path of the Hunter was my objective. When I knew we had a plan to get into C-Sec, I just followed you."

"This is hard to wrap my head around all this; I don't know what to believe."

"It was a master plan of deception, Toby; now let's get out of here," Brian suggested while holding out his hand offering it to Toby.

"What he said about Rena was that true," Toby asked weakly rubbing his chafed neck.

"Partly." Toby gasped at Brian. "The part with you killing her was false, but the drugs were true. That was Fomina behind all of that. You have been induced with hallucinogenic drugs and that turian you killed was Vikar's brother and Vikar was part of that group who attacked you. I just found out about that, I am sorry man."

Toby's face turned hot with fury, but cooled down thinking about Vikar's death who was bludgeoned to death by Nashira and her trusty wrench.

"The whole plan was to take away your family members, fake their deaths so you would be crushed emotionally which would make you leave C-Sec, but I think Vikar wanted to kill you. He obviously wanted to kill Nashira, but luckily Gia was out in a flash by one of the operatives who snuck past you when you entered the building. C-Sec was going to keep them safe, but when I learned that Nashira was with you, I had to intervene to get both of you out alive. Now, we need to get you off this station. Pira, are you with me," Brian asked putting a thick finger up to his small ear. Toby stared at him dazed and in a torpid state trying to put everything in line.

"Pira, I need you to keep those security camera's off in my sector, is that clear?" Brian handed Toby a clear ear piece for him to use while opening the door. Brian then dragged a box inside of the cell. "Toby put on the armor now, it should hold as a cheesy disguise," Brian ordered him through a bubbly chuckle, trying to lighten up the dark confusing mood. Toby put the armor on over his clothes not bothering to take them off which is standard protocol, especially with the brand armor C-Sec used.

"Brian, we need to do one thing before we leave this hellhole," Toby murmured, his voice laced with rage and revenge. "I need to kill Kieran." Brian's grin disappeared into a serious stoic look.

"Listen Toby, I have a vehicle ready to take off right now. It will bring you to your family and you will be safe. If you go back up there for revenge, you will die." His tone of voice was serious enough to turn fire into ice. God he wanted to go up stairs and blow a ragged hole in Kieran's face, but his family was waiting for him…well that is what Brian was telling him. He didn't know who to trust anymore, so he just went with his gut instinct.

"I will follow you then Brian. The Hunter told me he was going after Nashira when he came to visit me in the interrogation room."

"The Hunter came to see you," Brian asked nervously.

"Yeah, he said he was going to find Nashira and kill her."

"Let's move fast then."

His family was first, especially since they were somehow alive in this jumbled mess of lies and death. Brian hooked a right down the hall which shot into the distance for one-hundred meters. The door that led to Kieran was no more than twenty feet away, just twenty feet from getting his revenge on the man who messed up the lives of his family. His dilemma was made difficult because of his immature reaction to revenge. Toby had to get a hold of his emotions and stuff them away. The Executor was going to be more pissed if he found out Brian was helping the one he despised so much. It was better this way and maybe one day, Toby Heiko could get his revenge. But now, he _needed _to see Gia in the flesh to see if what Brian told him was true. Or it could be a trap and Brian was working still with Kieran or the Hunter to lure him out and murder him. No, that couldn't be true, or it could? All the lies he has dealt with over the past several days was not allowing him to think strait. It also could be the military and C-Sec training kicking in.

At the end of the hallway, there was an open bay where officers would bring in criminals to stay in these temporary holding cells, either for misdemeanors or to hold them before transferring them to bigger prisons. Five vehicles were parked in the bay, one with a turian cop getting out and dragging a drunk salarian, which looked like he got in a bar fight, to the processing station manned by two asari. Other than that, no one was around to stop Brian and Toby. Like a weight lifting off Toby's chest, he felt free and relived, realizing the day was finally over when he sat in the car's passenger seat, careful of his wounded foot. The doors hissed closed and the roar of the city transformed to a muffled hum, barley penetrating the glass windows.

"We did it buddy," Brian whispered, wanting to pat him on the shoulder, but was conscious about his wounds. Kieran was still alive. A corrupt man in power still held the reins and was still steering his chariot like a god. Toby leaned his head against the glass to just doze off as the car hummed to life and took off out of the bay. The subtle vibrations tickled his inner ear while flying across the Wards at high speeds; it was the feeling of freedom.

The doors silently glided open and the soft music in the elevator dissipated into the large VIP section of the C-Sec academy as Skave walked out of the mirrored box. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of guards up here, mostly clean up teams getting the dead bodies of the turian's Heiko killed out of the room which further added to his body count. The odd thing was most of the guards were human in the lavish two story room. His best guess was that they were trying to make the image of humanity better after the mess Heiko created. They held their firearms in a professional stance that didn't match what C-Sec trained to do, but it must be their human Alliance training kicking in with their mundane task of watching the Executor. Not thinking about it further, Toby walked up to the door which was guarded by a turian.

"Lieutenant, I am Skave Arterius, Council Spectre. May I talk to the Executor, I must give him a sincere apology," Skave smoothly asked. The turian didn't even flinch at Skave's presidential title, but just nodded his head.

"Go ahead, he is expecting you."

Skave walked through the door and it shut behind him smoothly. A panoramic window looked over the Citadel from its glorious high altitude vantage point. Streams of cars traveled in schools between and over the colossal building, weaving in and out trying to get to their destination, meet with friends, or get home to sleep after an exhausting day at work. The C-Sec Executor stood hunched over, peering out the window, sensing Skave's presence from behind.

"Skave my friend, how are you?" Kieran charismatically asked.

"I'm good. Just came by to apologize for not getting Heiko in time," Skave responded, approaching Kieran from behind wanting to stare out the window. The yellow lights from the city glimmered in Skave's black eyes as he panned his head just staring out at the beautiful sight.

"It is all good. It made for some good drama; I bet Westerlund News is going to have a field day with this whole mess. I am looking forward to getting some interviews in with the journalists. Humanity has defiantly lost its foothold that is for sure."

"Do you think we have delayed the human expansion," Skave asked the politician.

"Definitely, I plan on skewing some of the details of my face-to-face encounter with Heiko when talking to the journalists to make him appear worse than he really was, of course." Kieran's mandibles flared, obviously excited as he stared up at the Spectre. "So exciting having all this power, I know you understand the sensation, Skave."

"Yes I do."

Skave's hand slowly crept to the back of his pants, grabbed the handle of his knife and plunged it deep into Kieran's eye socket. His eye popped satisfyingly, spewing black fluid on Skave's silvery blade as the tip of the knife stopped at the back of his skull.

"I know what power feels like Executor." Kieran's body seized up from his brain shooting hectic last minute currents to the muscles. Skave could feel the metal scrape against his target's skull, splintering it. "Velarn said you are a sign of physical weakness to the turian race and needed to be exterminated. A more pure turian will take your place Kieran, be proud of your death. This is for the good of the Pavlen and our prodigious race," Skave whispered into his ear, setting Kieran's dead body on the ground without a sound. He stood up over the body that was now loosening its muscles and his lungs let out a deep breath of air. Kieran didn't even see him coming, a quick and easy death at the hands of an admirable friend. It was an honorable way to go. Positive that no one heard anything, Skave wiped the blade on Kieran's jacket, left a blue smear behind, and walked towards the door.

The exit opened into the two story room which let natural light cascade through the glass ceiling and it spilled across the floor like a great flood. Skave once again got away with murder. His predator senses picked up on something though, something hostile in the room which caught him off guard. He spun around and saw three humans with assault rifles trained on his chest.

"Skave Arterius, hit the ground and don't even think about touching your weapons. We are just as fast if not faster than you," a burly human man grunted through pursed lips. Did he get caught killing the Executor? No, he was sure no one saw or heard a thing. For once, Skave was baffled. "You two turians, drop your weapon too," the large man ordered the two armed C-Sec guards across the room. The cleanup crew craned their heads towards the unexpected excitement. These humans didn't have the guts to kill him, his best chance of getting away was to let them take him and the only way out of this room was to go through an elevator, there he could spring an attack and kill them all. For now, he should just cooperate.

"Whatever you say human," Skave mumbled, absolutely confident his tactic was going to work. The burly human was flanked by two physically fit ones, easy prey. Slowly, the big one approached Skave and shoved the lips of his assault rifle into his eye. "Intimidation doesn't work on me idiot. C-Sec or the Council will have you arrested for this you know, that is, if I don't get to kill you myself," Skave hissed.

"We don't work for C-Sec or answer to the Council _turian_. There is this little operation called Cerberus we answer to and I have come to kill you Skave because of what you have done to Mr. Stago. You failed to kill all of your assigned targets leaving one of our colleagues, Nick Roberts, alive." Skave's black eyes went wide with surprise. The big human stepped on Skave's chest and stomped on his stomach with his heavy boot. The sharpest, most concentrated pain he has ever felt ruptured in his stomach as he spat up blood suddenly feeling his heart explode. Finally, the assault rifle was shoved in his eye and he could feel the magnets stir up energy. The big man propelled a slug into his skull. Everything went black.

Out of all his years living on the most fabulous city in the galaxy, Toby has never been to this part of the Citadel. The station where they were departing at was on the tip of the Ward arms. It looked out into the colossal cold webs of space dust that made up the nebula. The view from the car window was breathtaking, gazing out over the infinite expanse of the universe through this iota of a looking glass. Although the view was bigger than anything he has ever seen, it was just a small portion of the galaxy that advanced civilizations have unlocked, so small it was hard to fathom; the galaxy is enormous. He can remember staring up at the sky and using his adolescent imagination just thinking about the great adventures of traveling the stars when he got older. Toby never imagined his adventure was going to end up like this though, an ordinary man forced into extraordinary circumstances, facing an elusive enemy of lies, galactic super-soldiers, and corrupt leaders. The pale blue and lavender nebula sat sentinel in space and time, enveloping the Citadel in its dusty blanket as the colossal station slowly spun in place just burrowing in the comfort of the lustrous space dust.

"Toby, we are almost there."

In the distance, Heiko saw the landing port ahead, honeycombed into a massive building with ships swarming their hive, dropping off and picking people up. There was no way Skave was going to be able to find his family in this truly mind bending structure that held tens of thousands of people. Docking bays littered the surface with blue and white lights which slowly pulsing like a lighthouse calling a ship home on a foggy night.

"So they are here," Toby asked getting anxious to meet up with them.

"Yeah."

"Where are we going Brian?"

"Somewhere safe, I will fill you in when we meet up with them."

The vehicle pulled to the right and entered the stream of traffic. They gleefully followed the holographic signs in the air to the correct port. Brian peered at the directions on the display one last time then went into a shallow dive. He pulled under the shadow of the port and towards a landing pad next to an expensive looking transport vessel painted an eggshell white with sapphire blue lights acting as pinstripes. Finally, the vehicle landed with a cushioned thump and the hum died down with the ignition turned off.

"Toby…I just wanted to apologize for what I put you through."

"It was the only way Brian. It is all over with and that is all I care about. But I lost Rachel today and I will never forgive myself for that." Toby pushed back the lump inflating in his throat. There was an awkward silence for a moment then Toby opened the door, stripped his armor, and set it in the passenger seat of the car. "What are you going to do Brian? I mean C-Sec is going to find out what you have done and take you in." Brian chuckled while draping his forearm over the steering wheel.

"I will lay low for a while when I figure out how to get off the station. Pira will help like she has helped you."

"And how has she helped me?"

"When you reach your destination, you will find an enormous amount of credits in your new name, Allan Toshiko."

"Allan?"

Brian laughed.

"Yup, Allan."

Toby chuckled, "That is a stupid name, Brian."

"Yup," he said back and winked. "At least I gave you a yellow skinned last name."

"I swear I would punch you in the mouth if I had the energy."

"You can do that later my friend," Brian chuckled back, grinning at Toby's wide smile.

"And where am I going," Toby asked curiously finally getting the armor off.

"That my friend is a surprise."

Suddenly Toby heard a voice calling his name.

"Daddy!"

His heart almost ruptured from the excited voice of one he thought to be dead. He spun around and saw an orange blur swiftly slam into his chest which almost snapped his collar bone in half, but the pain melted away by the sweetest, most brilliant moment in his entire life.

"GiGi, oh my God my GiGi," he panted hugging her snugly. The smell of strawberries invaded his sense as he pushed his face deep into her small orange hood, unable to believe who it was. The joy was indescribable. His stomach fluttered his happiness and his chest felt like he was breathing in helium. The feel of her small hands trying to fit around his wide back sent goose bumps racing across his body. Feeling her chest rise and fall quickly against his just made him melt. The grin smeared across his face was one of unadulterated joy while he touched her petite back making sure she wasn't a mirage, afraid she was going to disappear from his loving grip. Her back was Gia's back. His finger lightly slid between her shoulder blades which poked out like a cats, her waist was the same thin waist he last felt, and her little legs were those that constantly moved and tapped to an imaginary tune only Gia could hear. God it felt good to have her in the safety of his warm grip once again.

Pulling her away, he grabbed her orange tinted facemask and stared into her giggling face, "Gia, are you okay? Are you hurt, baby? Oh I missed you so much! I love you GiGi, I love you so much, I am so sorry." His thumbs stroked the mask which he thought he had in his bag, but was just something from his imagination.

"Yes Daddy, I am perfectly A-Okay!" He didn't want to blink, afraid he was going to miss the most precious facial movement or body movement. Her small hands clasped together, placed them over her lap, and she swayed her shoulders just soaking up the attention she was getting from her father while teetering on two toes. Tears glistened in his eyes watching the most beautiful thing brought into this dark world just stand there. She was utterly gorgeous; his Gia was safe.

"Gia, where is Mommy," he asked while looking over her shoulder on his knees. Then he spotted her walking out of the crowd of people who were dressed way too nicely. Nashira, the love of his life gave him a gentle wave just keeping a slim hand close to her chest; the sight was adorable. Grabbing Gia's hand, he walked over to Nashira.

"Did Brian fill you in on what actually happened Nash," he whispered cautiously.

"Yes he did," she whispered back pulling him close by his waist. To his surprise, a hand snaked up to her face. Pulling off the mask, she lunged at his lips giving him to most intimate kiss of her life. Shocked at the action, he blocked off the world around him and kissed back, both their lips slipping into each other's mouths. Her tongue was sweet like sugar in his mouth as his hand went behind her head, pushing her face closer and adoring the touch just wishing his hands could slip though her hair. She pulled away and grinned at him while whispering _it is all going to be okay. _She quickly slipped the mask back on, knowing she was going to be in bed for a week or so, but at the moment, it just seemed like the natural thing to do.

"We will finish this later my darling," Toby grumbled seductively, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close.

"I can't wait Toby."

"Yuck," Gia exclaimed turning away from their intimate kiss and grown up talk she didn't understand. Toby turned to Brian who was starting up the car.

"Brian… thank you," Toby yelled over the whine.

"My pleasure buddy." With that, the doors to the vehicle closed and the windows polarized as it took off into the distance. To be honest, Toby wasn't sure how Brian was going to live in the future. Knowing him on the most personal level, he understood Brian loved to live on the edge with danger nipping at his heels everywhere he went. For some odd reason, Brian was probably going to love the chase even if the Hunter went after him. That was just the type of person he was.

"Where is Uncle Brian going," Gia asked.

"Don't worry GiGi, I have a feeling we will see him soon." Grabbing onto both Nashira and Gia's three fingered hands, they walked towards the boarding ramp of the transport vessel.

"All passengers boarding the MSV Paramount to Bekenstein, we will be departing in twenty minute," a cool voice echoed from some speakers in the holding bay.

"Did she say Bekenstein, Toby," Nash asked, gripping his hand harder obviously excited. From what Toby knew, Bekenstein was the human equivalent of the asari's Illium; it was the most expensive and technologically advanced planet in the galaxy second to the asari's pearl. He has seen pictures of the city in _Architectural Digest_ and _National Geographic_, but never in person.

"Yes she did Nashira." He filled her in on the information Brian gave him about the money and name change which all seemed mysterious and exciting. They walked towards the ship as Gia explained to them what kind of vessel this was even down the drive core. Listening to her light airy voice with the smallest bit of Nashira's accent was amazing. How just hours ago he thought she was dead, now Gia was talking about ships and why it was painted white. They entered the vessel which was roomy on the inside and lavished with champagne colored leather seats. The fragrant smell of high quality perfume and cologne gave them a sense of Bekenstein's wealth.

"Mr. Toshiko," an attractive Asian woman asked raising a black painted on eyebrow while staring at his odd apparel.

"Yes?"

"We have seats reserved for you in first class which is to the left through the door. Please enjoy the flight," she professionally said while smiling, not even bothered by the sight of two quarians. This craft was a top notch operation.

"Thank you ma'am."

Gia skipped ahead into the first class section and took a seat which had _Toshiko _in blue holographic letters above a small private room. They walked in and stared at the vials of dark alcohol, crystal glasses, leather chairs, coffee table, and a holographic screen playing a slideshow advertising Prodigious Lines, the MSV Paramount's company. Burled wood completed the décor along with a wide window looking out over the Citadel towards the Presidium. Spending most of his life here, he felt no sad emotions with leaving this city; its famous looks and appeal has worn thin and never seeing this place again…he was okay with that.

Toby plopped down on a leather chair while glaring at the screen which changed to an envelope. It chimed signaling _he_ had a message. Impressed with the service here, he opened it up and grabbed Nashira's hand as text cropped up on the screen.

_Dear Toshiko family,_

_I have filed an absorbent amount of credits into your name which can be accessed by your new bank which I will give details later. We leaked leads of your whereabouts saying you escaped and went to Omega in the terminus system. They won't think you would hide in the next system over. Your life is restarting on a fresh clean plate. I hope you enjoy it._

_ -Pira_

_ P.S. Here are some images of your new house._

Pictures of a high-rise apartment materialized on screen. It was furnished with ergonomic white furniture and tables. An amazing kitchen as large as their old apartment then flashed on screen revealing a vista of the city's capitol in the background. A bedroom came up next which looked like a child's room filled with all sorts of neat stuff and a bed shaped as a ship which caused Gia to gape at the sight. Then a picture of the master bedroom came up with a low to the ground crisp, white bed flanked by frosted glass built in cabinets and bedside tables. A reading nook looked out over yet another amazing view of the city with sliding doors leading to an outdoor patio. It was incredible, this was their new house; he was speechless along with Nashira who held a hand over her mouth shocked.

"Keelah, where did…why is this happening to us Toby?"

"Pira has some hacking skills and I will just leave it at that," he responded, shifting in his chair tired as all hell. "GiGi, do you want to snuggle with Daddy?"

"Yes I do." The forty pound quarian leapt in his lap instantly, nuzzling her head under Daddy's chin. Toby scooped her legs up bringing her closer to his chest and melted into her small body. "Did they treat you well Gia?"

"I was scared at first, but the asari lady was nice and gave me toys to play with," she lisped though a yawn that contagiously spread to Toby. He grinned at Nashira from across the room as she curled up on the couch and stuffed a pillow under her head wanting to fall asleep after their insane day. It is over, his sixth sense couldn't pick up on any danger what so ever. The Hunter, where ever it was going to be, was searching for a ghost and the Executor is going to be furious to know he got out. It was done. Nashira pushed her back into the couch, passing out immediatly and released a subtle purr which was the most adorable form of a snore he has ever heard. Gia's small hands wrapped around Toby's neck and she began to doze off, dreaming of starships and space adventures. For the first time in his life, Toby Heiko was at total peace.

_It was finished._


	16. Chapter 16

_**Epilogue **_

Halos ringed the lights that burned over his broken body that was splayed out in a hospital bed. His vision seemed to be better than it was before. Colors were more vibrant and he could breathe easier, except his mouth was parched and felt like sandpaper. His bloated tongue laid in his mouth like a slug dried out in the sun for days.

Skave sat up, but was forced down while he felt the stitches in his face, chest, and stomach begin to separate. The pain was unbearable.

"Water," he gasped, feeling a presence in the room other than him. The lights dimmed as the person in the room noticed he was awake. The other person in the room stood up from a chair in the corner.

_Who is that?_

_He is here because you failed._

_Get out of my head._

_I am sorry Skave, but I am with you forever now. I am going nowhere._

_Out!_

_No._

_Out now!_

_Never Skave, get used to it. We can work together my friend._

_I am not your friend._

_In time you will be._

He noticed the Invader was thrashing at his mind even though he wasn't angry. Skave could deal with this later, right now though, he needed water. Off to his right, a small machine whirred and he felt a tube which was already in his mouth release drops of precious water. Desperately he sucked at tube's nipple quenching his thirst.

"Who is there," he asked now able to talk without it burning. A turian head pieced together feet away from his face.

"You must lay still Skave. You have undergone extensive surgery. You brain has suffered major trauma, you have lost an eye, but now you have a new one which makes your vision sharper than before, and a new artificial stomach, plus a heart. Also, you are now a biotic." The news was shocking to say the least and the last thing he can remember was being executed by some human who said he worked for Cerberus, some secret human operation.

"Who are you," he persisted, needing to know this fellow turian's name.

"I am a Council Spectre named Ferogi. I understand you want some revenge for the ones that did this to you. Your files say you are vindictive and have a lust for blood."

"Cerberus, I want to find them," Skave hissed.

"Also, we have a new C-Sec executor named Executor Pallin. Your mission was a success and Velarn sends his utmost gratitude. Also, the human you were hunting has escaped." Hearing that Heiko escaped was confusing to say the least, but he was in no shape to think about it. Sedatives were surging through his veins making his eyelids heavy.

"Skave, when you get better…we have some clean up to do." Skave stared at Ferogi then felt something in his hand.

_Heiko's watch._

Mustering the rest of his strength, Skave looked at the quality quarian crafted watch. His eyes watched the minute hand and the hour hand tick. Like the two hands, both Skave and Toby had a destiny: in the future, they will cross paths until one stops ticking.


	17. After the Story: The Fuel for Deception

**After the Story: The Fuel for Deception**

Note: This was written right after the story had been fully released two-something years ago.

First off, I just want to thank all my fans and readers, you all made this story possible through all the support I received through Snake in the Mud and The Creation of Good Memories. You all are the best and have changed my life, those words are coming from my heart and are sincere. Just a few shout outs in no particular order….

Knight5923, you are the one to inspire me to try my hand at fanfiction. Seriously, you have talent and I hope it doesn't go to waste.

JeanLuc761 a.k.a. Captain, thank you for the awesome editing at the beginning, you are a champ for sticking with me even though I poked you in the side each time I saw you online. You are a true friend and an eternal bro. You are the best, man.

x1Kaotik1x, a.k.a. Brian, thank you for reviewing my editing for ten whole chapters, I will give you a medal next time I see you. Your comments were awesome, so was you honesty. I love you man.

Savakka1, thank you for the support through the past year dealing with my fanfiction. Seriously, you are the nicest person I have met through the BSN and your Tali/quarian love is strong, which I admire.

Tetris556, your reviews are awesome along with the continuous support through the past year.

ThunderTactics, your almighty comments and support have been great, thank you. Every word you type towards my stories mean a lot.

xXRaFFiCaXx, not sure if you are still around, but the support has been awesome.

Harold, the support, reviews, and praise you have shown towards me has been awesome and your long fanfictions can compete with Homer's epics.

Troodon80, thank you for your support; you are a morale booster.

Riptidex1090 and Lividity Jones, you two have given me hope. You guys proved an original fanfiction can get attention and be liked without squad mates from the games. You two were like two hands on my back pushing me forward. By the way, _Reckoning _is awesome!

Snowraptor, I love how you used to try to be the first to comment, I always enjoyed that! You sir make me chuckle.

Heavywolfblade, your loyalty towards my stories have been epic, you are great!

Mikethor007, Godur, and Thelacan same can be said to you! Your comments make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Some more shout outs:

iriotboy  
TTTX  
Nexu5_  
modsoft  
Runescapeguy9 (for creating the _Deception _image to fit in my sig)  
shadowwolf523  
SpatFieya…. _**SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT**_  
Arhka  
A Furry Peach  
DAT BOSH  
Tali Rox  
Master at Halo  
NeXuS_  
Tali Fan FTW  
Cave Dude  
TomBmbadil  
LOLERSTATES  
nickFury  
Calinstel  
Karimloo (I love your drawings from TCoGM)  
timedrake32 (long time support)  
uhdrnt (or however you spell it, lol)  
Devil Mingy  
Aramiss Ducati  
Envor44  
novar  
XTVengeance (you are bro)  
Hatmonster  
Palidine_0225  
D4rkSektor  
mrmuk  
owen_shepard  
Verus Amicus  
PMorgan18  
NoBrandOnMe  
Katharr (you know how much you helped/supported me)  
monwigget  
Dagoth14  
Himmelstor (wherever you are Doc, your support has been IMMENSE!)  
vahransfire  
Wonko the Sane  
Alphyn (you are awesome my man)  
Rath363  
Gre3nham  
Kikaimegami  
Tyler1991991  
Battlemaster  
Captain Jazz  
Formis_Sage (epic support from you)  
Gust4v (you take the best screenshots)  
Sensei Wuzi  
Slaixth  
Shazzammer2 (thanks for uploading/helping me with my drawings)  
DarkwanderStorm (more awesome support)  
NuclearBuddha (awesome writer here)  
Simon9one  
Azaleliath (long time support)  
Apethril  
SirEmilCrane (tanks are awesome so were your personal comments)  
Strawberry Kiwi (you gave me momentum very early on)  
herbie dog  
QuarianSouvenir  
Wiggs Magee  
Vuppish  
Commander Marrek S  
bpaulus  
Laxgoalie43  
Ashaman X  
Bloodhuman1  
Zehtuka  
BlacksmithPL  
Thank you all so _very _much! All of you who I forgot to mention, you know who you all are. My thanks comes from the deepest of my heart and I mean that. BioWare, thank you for creating a colorful and alive univerese.

**Afterword  
**

The birth of Deception was spawned in my mind when I was writing _The Creation of Good Memories_ back April of this year. Mass Effect fanfiction at the time was a very limited genre wise with the ships characters. It was either: Tali gets kidnapped, Tali dies, and funfiction was on the rise. With all my stories, I wanted to make unique stories that differed from everyone else's. _The Patrol_ was my first which followed into _Snake in the Mud_. I wanted to create a thriller with a twist at the end and seeing the reactions of my readers, I felt I had succeeded. Back in the day, I thought only like ten people were reading my stuff until I found out how to see my views. I was _shocked _to see I had over one-hundred views on each chapter. When I saw that, I was fueled to write.  
When writing _Snake in the Mud_, that is where I found the love of making and writing insane antagonists. This was the story Skave appeared in. When I started writing _Snake in the Mud_'s prologue, I found it eerily easy to write Skave's character. After a solid thirty minutes, I had about one-thousand words spilled across my page and I didn't even know what happened. I had a simple outline of the story and no character creation, but Skave felt natural at the tip of my pen. It bled psychopath, murderer, womanizer, and racism. At that moment, I fell in love with him. After completing _Snake in the Mud _at a blistering pace, this was the moment I knew I wanted to write for the rest of my life. That was the quintessential moment in my life where everything I thought I was going to be blew out the window. It was like I was reborn and had a fresh start. To say the least, it was a life changing moment as cheesy as it sounds.  
I went on to write _The Creation of Good Memories_, which started with _A Good Day_ and was supposed to be a one shot… but look at how that turned out. This first chapter came out at the apex of the Tali Thread and I almost feinted when I saw the first chapter hit over one-thousand hits on the BSN. The comments were incredibly positive and I was told I hit gold with this new genre I dubbed "facemelting fanfiction." With all the harrowing stories being told, I wanted to steer my writing style in a competently new direction: I stepped up to the challenge of writing comedy and romance. It was a hit, so I continued the story for 60,000 more words until it came to a happy and joyful end with no loose threads. During this story though, I had an insane dream. It was not a dream, but an arbiter that crushed my mind with an inexhaustible amount of energy while sleeping. I had the most intense nightmare of my life. I can remember waking up and having this overwhelming amount of fear crippling my body. I can't recall exactly what happened in the nightmare, but all I remember was this enigmatic possessed force relentlessly chasing me through its realm I stumbled upon.  
The following morning, I woke up and thought back on this ridiculous nightmare I had. That is when it came to me; the atmosphere of _Deception _was clear in my mind. I wanted to write a psychological thriller laced with reoccurring themes of horror and powerful emotion. But when writing, I promise myself to finish one project at a time, so I retrieved the tactics of blitzkrieg and declared an official war on _The Creation of Good Memories_. When writing this though, I felt anxiety ever present in my chest; it was _Deception's_ ego pushing in on me. While typing _The Creation of Good Memories_, _Deception_ was always in my mind. At this time though, I was planning a cooperative fanfiction with Rath363 and Sensei Wuzi, which was going to be based off of the invasion of Shanxi. We actually had a group together and were brainstorming some really brilliant ideas, but they just fell of the radar eventually, as did many Talimancers later down the long road we have paved for ourselves. I was disappointed, but thinking back on it, I honestly don't think I could have done that. When I write, I need complete control over my story and characters. With the last remaining chapters on _The Creation of Good Memories_ being written, I was already looking into the future of writing. With the Tali'Zorah thread shut down, everyone was separating and dropping like flies. It was a sad time indeed, but I kept on writing. I joined the TZF and began looking for an editor, as I realized my editing isn't the greatest and I needed fresh eyes. That is when I secretly asked JeanLuc761 to be my editor. I told him it was going to be at least three months before he laid eyes on the first sentence of my story I have yet started, planned, or researched for. He agreed and at that time, I don't think he realized what he signed up for.  
With the three chapters remaining on _The Creation of Good Memories_, I began brainstorming ideas. Months before this, I actually wanted to some funny short stories about a seven year old quarian adopted by Tali and Shepard, but NuclearBuddha just took off with _The Adventures of Reala'Shepard_ and I admit, I don't think I could have done work better than his. Although the idea was sort of different from his, I wanted to respect his work and leave him that whole entertaining genre to himself. So I started thinking, and I thought of adding a seven year old quarian into this new nebulous story was a fantastic idea. I had haphazard ideas scattered in my thoughts when I finally finished _The Creation of Good Memories_ in late May. Although I typed a good 3,000 words over the course of a day, it didn't take long for me to feel the anxiety of not writing to tighten in my chest. I knew I wanted to do a standalone story, something gritty, dark, funny, romantic, and not revolving around relentless action. I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so for my little time off before I started writing again, I read books on how to write novels, educated myself with character creation, how to develop plots, write riveting dialogue, and most importantly, add symbolism into writing. I spent long hours laying in my bed reading and absorbing knowledge in an attempt to feed the hungry beast inside. It was summer time and I had lots of free time to think and plan. As I move quite often, I don't have many friends in Pennsylvania, I would spend lots of time by myself. I was always holding conversations with myself and always planning.  
I felt my head was clear of stress made by college and work, so I began to take notes on what I wanted to happen in the story. It just hit me one day, so I started to plan. I didn't start with the plot though, but more important to the plot were the characters. With a vague idea of what kind of story I wanted to tell, I felt the urge to push the characters first. I had four main ones on my mind: Toby Heiko, Nahisra'Leah vas Shaan (Nashira Heiko), Gia'Leah narr Shaan, (Gia Heiko) and Skave. Right away I knew these characters would work. As I knew this story was going to be a psychological thriller, Skave would be the adhesive that would hold this all together. With him alive in _Snake in the Mud_, I wanted the reader to feel the constant pressure of him winning this fight against the Heiko family since he couldn't be killed in _Deception_. I worked really hard on the character creation process, writing pages upon pages of notes and short stories, like what and how would Toby act and think in a traffic jam. How would Gia greet her father after he came home from work, what would Nashira do in a clothing store. I also wrote simple dialogue between the characters, for example, have Nash and Toby discuss who would do the dishes after dinner. I wanted to make a strong sense of connection between the family and have the readers sense chemistry between them.  
Once I had them figured out, I went to the plot. Now I knew I wanted a twist with the story, well actually more than a single twist, but something that would blindside the readers at least several times. So the easiest way to do this was come up with a simple plot and work from there. The way I worked though was not sitting at my desk, but doing other things like mowing the lawn, driving, cooking, and just hanging out. I always carried a slim notebook around with me wherever I went and would jot down ideas when they came at me, which was at the weirdest of times. I would be jotting notes down in the grocery store, during a preview of a movie in the theater, and for some reason when I was driving. With the plot sort of set up, I knew the characters would carry me through the rest of the story, as I didn't know what the ending was going to be. All I had was, "they make it into C-Sec through the tube, which was introduced in the beginning, and they were going to do something." Early into the process (before finishing _The Creation of Good Memories_) I knew I had to write the whole story before releasing a single chapter. With this, I knew I had to have motivation to do this beast of a story. Looking at what I wanted to do, I knew this was going to be bigger than both of my prior stories.  
With my friend Brian Hilliard coming over to Philly to hang out, I was going to take this opportunity as a break before I sat down and started writing. After having many adventures with my friend, I wanted to put him into the story as a lead character, and of course he made it in. While he was visiting, I studied the way he talked, how he moved, and how he acted when on our many adventures we took. Little did he know, he was going to have a major part in my story. One night though, I woke up, sat down at my laptop and wrote the first chapter in a couple hours. I knew instantly I had some sort of connection to the story as it flew by me and I knew exactly how I wanted to execute it. After my vacation was over though, I devoted my whole summer to writing. I promised myself to write at least 1,500 words a day and on some days, I would get that done in about an hour. With the story coming together with more clarity, I focused on my characters, more importantly Toby. I wanted to flesh him out so much in fact; I was falling into his habits. I began exercising, running, and keeping a healthy lifestyle like he would. Over the course of _Deception_, I found myself withering away and losing pounds… _fast. _  
With the appearance of Lividity Jones and RiptideX1090's _Reckoning_, which is an original fanfiction, my hope for _Deception's_ success boosted as I saw how popular it became. This gave me hope that original fanfictions wanted to be read by people and I knew by going into this, writing something without Tali, was a big risk. I soldiered on, writing everyday which was fueled by the motivation of myself. I had to keep motivated as I promised myself I needed to finish it. Not once though did I ever feel I was not going to finish it.  
Finally, I finished _Deception_ mid august, gave it a quick look over and sent it to JeanLuc761. Jean was a fantastic editor and he deserves an immense amount of credit when it comes to the quality of the first five chapters. I know he was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of words I layer on him, but her soldiered through when finally we agreed it would be better to part ways as he was busy with other stuff in his life. That is where I picked up Brian as the person to look over my rubbish editing. Brian, a personal friend and personality I based the character Brian off of in _Deception_, worked at warp speed and was a serious morale booster. My fans and readers, you made this story possible. I love you all. I am not sure what I will be doing next, so stay tuned... you might be surprised.

-RAGE

Update: The sequel to this story is well on its way. I figured I should copy/paste this from my BioWare blog into for those of you who missed it. I am 70,000 words (edited) into _Deception_'s sequel and I hope to start getting them out soon. For the full effect of the next story (that's right, there should be art accompanying it) go to the BioWare Social Network and search for FsDxRAGE under blogs and type in "Deception." That will be the homepage for my next big project. If there are any of you still out there who will be interested in reading the next story, (*crickets*) man you all are soldiers and my heroes.


End file.
